Children of the Prophecy
by rocketgod123
Summary: The Heroes of Olympus are back- but this time it's up to their children to save them. The Seven have been taken, and now their children must fight their way across the country to find them. But with mysterious forces awakening, it seems like a war that could destroy the world is ever looming. With more at stake than ever before, will they be able to live up to their legacy?
1. Prologue

**Hey guys! A new story! **

**So yes, this story is slightly different from what I planned, but I liked the idea. Hope you enjoy, and please review once you've read.**

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Prologue:

Percy

Something was wrong.

Percy had first felt it in the morning, but he had shrugged it off. At the time he had been helping Damian fly his first Pegasus. He had been begging Percy for months now, and Percy thought he was ready. Emma had shown up too, which was no surprise. The two were mad about horses, something which Damian had inherited from Percy, and Emma had inherited from Hazel.

But after Percy had shown them the main tips of riding, the camp alarm had rang. Percy had grabbed the two of them and ran to the Big House.

As they approached, he saw a crowd had gathered. He spotted his wife near the front, along with Maia. Piper was next to them, hugging Hector to her chest.

"Annabeth!" He briefly kissed his wife, before hugging his daughter. "What's going on?" he asked, seeing concern in her grey eyes.

"The Big House- there's something wrong…"

It was then that Percy saw. Green smoke was wisping out of the House, which was glowing with power. It was as if the whole thing was about to take off.

"No one can go in," Piper added. "There's something stopping us."

More and more people were beginning to arrive, seeing what was happening. Hazel and Frank arrived, as well as Jason, Leo.

Percy looked around. "Where's Aria and Adam?" he asked. Just as he said this, the two of them appeared, breathless, the clothes covered in mud, Ant not too far behind them.

Percy scanned his family. Next to Annabeth, exchanging worried looks with to one of her friends' from the Demeter cabin was Percy's oldest daughter, Maia. At 16 years, she had inherited Percy's black hair- hers hung down, cascading past her neck. She had her mother's eyes though, the same stormy grey.

Next came the twins. Though their hair colour was different- Aria had her mother's blonde hair, while Adam's was far darker- they had the same features, the same sea green eyes, like Percy. Not to mention the fact their identical age- 14 years- meant that anyone could tell they were twins.

Damian was between them, the smallest at 12. Like the twins, he had Percy's eyes, with thick blonde hair. He was frowning, studying the Big House with Athena like curiosity.

Suddenly, there was a burst of light out of the door of the house. Chiron trotted forward towards it, worried. He once again tried to enter, but some invisible force stopped him. Percy surged forward. Instinctively, he tried to enter. He passed through, entering the house.

He turned around. For some reason, he could enter. He beckoned at Annabeth, who also tried. Likewise she could enter. A few minutes later, they realised that only the seven of the giant war could enter, and Hazel, the last one to arrive, stepped through the door. Together, they made their way down the hallway.

"Just like old times, huh?" Leo half smiled. He turned round, hoping to spot Calypso outside the big house, whom for some reason was still not present.

"I hope not," Jason muttered.

"Ah, don't lie, you loved all the monsters." Leo grinned. "Especially all the people you met. I seem to remember you being struck by a certain witch- Medea, anyone?"

Jason shook his head. "Don't get started on that. We were both enchanted. Or would you like us to list the many crushes you had before Calypso?"

Hazel laughed. Frank smiled too. "I remember something about a certain Khione?"

"Oh, yes, that was fun till Leo threw a hammer at her," Piper said, nodding.

"What about Thalia?" Percy piped in. Leo blushed, and Jason just made a face.

"Can we change the subject please?"

"You were the one who started it," Annabeth pointed out.

"Yes, and now I'm going to finish it."

They continued to move down the hallway, the camp now out of sight. They soon were at the meeting room, when Annabeth, who was at the front, stopped.

"What is it?" Hazel asked.

Before Annabeth could answer, there was a rush of air. Percy shivered. He moved his hand towards Annabeth's.

Suddenly, the seven of them were thrown backwards, crashing into the wooden floor. A green light shone in front of them, blinding.

"It has started!" A snaky, cold voice spoke. The sound made Percy turn clammy and cold inside. "The heroes are starting to be taken. But you seven… I wanted you to know before you are gone, that this camp shall soon fall. Everyone will suffer!"

There was a maniacal laughter, and it was the last thing Percy heard, before he was gone.

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**A/N: This story will be fairly long. I have the beginning of the story pre-written, so the next chapter should be up tomorrow. Also, this story is based after the ending of BoO, but I have included certain aspects from my other story, The War of Gaia. There is a gate linking the two camps, and so therefore Romans can easily travel to camp half blood and vice versa. Don't worry, it will get explained more later. **

**And also, ****COMPETITION****: Reyna! She is married in this story, and has a child. But you guys get to decide who Reyna's husband is! Just simply review with your entry. It can be a character from the actual books who ends up with her, or it can be your OC! (If it is an OC, give a very short description of him). **

**The winner, besides seeing Reyna and her husband (who come into play later in the story) will also get credits, as well as the chance to have an OC of their choice feature in this story, or my next one which I'm planning, which should be up soon.**

**So review! Enter this competition! Next chapter will be up tomorrow!**


	2. Chapter 1

**As promised, another chapter is up. Thanks for the favourites and follows, and thanks for the reviews!:**

**urqueenizhere: Actually, I already have a plan for Nico's spouse, which is why I didn't hold a competition for it. However, if you enter a character, and I choose it, the OC you choose as your prize could be an adopted child of Nico, something which I am considering. So enter!**

**astroboyosh: Thanks! That really means a lot to me and I hope you enjoy this story!**

**About the gate, for those of you who've read the War of Gaia, you know how it works. For those of you haven't, you could read it- but here are the basics. The gate is basically a portal for demigods to easily travel between two camps whose physical location are completely separate. **

**So yeah, enjoy the chapter. The next one should be up either tomorrow, or wed/thur. Depends on the reviews I get. More reviews means a quicker update. Also, enter the Reyna competition!**

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**DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the adults- they belong to Rick Riordan, as does the whole setting/world/idea. Only the children characters are mine, as is the plot. This disclaimer applies to all the chapters in this story.**

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Chapter 1

Eva

A camp drill? Eva could take it. Strange things happening at the big house. Normal for a demigod. But disappearing parents?

That's when Eva Valdez got worried.

First Eva's mum hadn't shown up, which was surprising. Then dad went into the big house with the rest of the seven. They had been inside two minutes when there was an explosion of green light, blinding the crowd for a few seconds. When it faded away, people could once more enter the big house. Chiron carefully trotted inside.

The seven were gone. Panic started to rise in Eva. She looked at Adelina, her twelve-year-old sister, who was looking worried.

"Where're mama and papa?" Lina asked. She had long wavy hair the same colour as Leo's. Her caramel eyes widened in worry.

"I'm not sure. We'll find them though, don't worry. It'll be ok." She turned to face Ant, who at 14 was only two years younger than her. His real name was Antonio, but due to his quiet nature, and black hair, everyone close to him called him Ant. The name was doubly appropriate- like an ant, Antonio stayed working hard for long hours, spending his time in the forges and bunker nine. "Listen, Ant, I need you to look after Lina. Stay here."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to check the cabin. Mum might be there. I'll be back soon," Eva replied. Ant nodded, and Eva set off.

The cabin area wasn't too far off, but it was completely deserted. She went to the edge of the area, and entered a wooden cabin, fairly small, with cream walls, lit by candles. The Titan cabin. It had been created especially when Leo had taken Calypso back to Camp Half-Blood, and was now used by Eva and a couple of others- descendants of titans. Lina sometimes stayed here as well, when she felt lonely- which wasn't too often. Though this was her first summer at Camp Half-Blood, she had settled in straight away.

Calypso had told her that when the titan cabin had first been created, campers had been wary of it. Now, everyone viewed it as normal. The people there were good, not reflections of their immortal ancestor. Though some, like Eva, had inherited some cool powers.

The cabin was empty. Eva wasn't that surprised. Calypso had come down to camp today, but generally she stayed back in New Athens.

She sprinted out of the cabin area, towards the gate. She didn't even have time to say hi to Aetos, before she had passed into Camp Jupiter.

The gate, a gift from the gods after giant war, linked the two camps. It lead right into the heart of New Rome. Eva navigated the streets with ease, having grown up here. She soon made it to New Athens.

When more and more Greek demigods had started to move into New Rome, it expanded, and formed New Athens, two areas right next to each other.

Eva soon found her house. It had two storeys, with white washed walls, and a porch. She fished out the key, which her parents had given her last year, out of her pocket.

The house was silent. Empty. No one was home.

Eva held back a sob. Both her parents were missing.

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Eva entered the meeting room. The Big House was now completely back to normal, but there was still no sign of the missing parents.

Chiron sat at the head of the room, next to Rachel, the camp oracle. Mark, her son, stayed in the titan cabin with Eva, as that was where his mother's powers originated- a titan. Though the Oracle was a celibate, Mark had been a gift from Apollo, and Rachel had adopted him.

Around the table, the children of the seven were scattered. The Zhangs, Michael and Emma, the Graces, Amy, Lily and Hector, the Jacksons and Eva's own siblings- the Valdezes.

She took a seat between her younger sister and Maia Jackson. Maia was Eva's best friend, having known each other since childhood. Both aged sixteen years, they shared a sense of humour, but neither was smiling right now.

"What's happening?" Eva asked.

"Chiron's assembled the children of those who've disappeared. Grover's gone too, which is why Reid's here," she nodded at the young satyr, who was sitting next to Damian, "and Nico's disappeared, as well as Tyson and Thalia."

Before Eva could reply, Chiron tapped the floor with his front hoof.

"Hello, legacies, demigods and satyrs. We all know why we are here today. Several demigods, a satyr and a Cyclops have disappeared, all with one thing in common- they are heroes of Olympus."

"Do we know who's taken them?" Michael asked. He was the eldest Zhang child, a few months older than Eva. He had Hazel's cocoa skin, as well as short, curly dark hair. He had his father's light brown eyes though, and was tall and muscular.

"No, we do not at this point. However, we do have one lead." Chiron took out a parchment, spreading it out on the table. "I found this in the place where the seven disappeared. It's a map of America, and there's a glowing location in Pennsylvania. It seems that this is the destination."

Amy Grace leaned forward. "What if it's a trap?"

Chiron shrugged. "It's very possible. But it's our only lead. If the questers take too long, we'll send back up."

"And who will go on this quest?" Eva asked.

Chiron exchanged a look with Rachel. "Well actually, I already know the answer to that. I had a vision. Apollo's made it clear that Zeus has decreed there to be no contact by them on this quest, but Apollo gave me some help.'

"He told you who needs to go?" Maia said hopefully.

Rachel nodded. "He did. All of you should go. You are the children of the heroes who have been kidnapped. You are the children of the prophecy."

"What about Hector?" Amy asked. Hector Grace, her younger brother was only 8 years old, not old enough to go on a quest.

Chiron shook his head. "Hector shall stay here."

"Who's gonna lead?" Aria piped up.

"The oldest," Chiron replied. "Michael, you are, as they say, in charge."

Michael looked hesitant, but he nodded.

"How are we all going to go, though?" Emma, Michael's younger sister, questioned.

Eva saw Chiron look at Ant.

Ant smiled at them all. "Isn't it obvious?" When no one answered, he shook his head, grinning. "I think the Argo II is ready to see some action again."

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**Quest time! Review before you go, more reviews means a quicker update, perhaps tomorrow! Also enter a character for Reyna's husband! **


	3. Chapter 2

**Next chapter, and you get to know the legacies better. Thanks for the reviews:**

**denis: yup, they rebuilt it**

**toujours l'espoir: Thanks for your nice review! It's really up to you, if you're willing I'm more than glad to accept your submission. **

**Which reminds me: The deadline for the Reyna's husband competition will be in a week or two, two weeks max. So get reviewing, and enter the competition!**

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Chapter Two

Michael

Michael whistled in awe at the ship in front of him. The Argo II was shiny golden, in as good condition as ever. Festus creaked, and shot flames in the air.

"How did you get to be look so new?" he asked Ant as they boarded the ship.

Ant grinned. "Oh, dad programmed Festus to be able to switch between ship and dragon form- though it requires a lot of energy, and some magic from the Hecate cabin's involved. Anyway, we always keep it in good condition just in case." Michael wasn't surprised. Ant was an awesome mechanic, maybe even better than Leo.

As everyone readied their supplies, Michael studied the map. "The location is Warrensville, Pennsylvania," he commented. Ant punched the digits in.

"Why?" Maia, who was standing next to them, asked. "What's there?"

Michael shrugged. He didn't know the answer.

As they took off, Michael looked at Camp Half-Blood. The camp got smaller and smaller as they zoomed off into the air.

This was the biggest quest in generations, and Michael was tasked to lead it. Michael could fight- he had been blessed by Mars as a child- but could he lead? Michael knew that this could affect him, a lot. Praetor elections were coming soon, and rumours that Michael could be the next praetor were flying around camp. Michael had seen the whispers, the nods, the nudges. Michael was one of the best warriors in camp, but people seemed to think he would make a good praetor, like his father before him. Everyone seemed so sure, even his parents, but Michael doubted himself. He wasn't sure if he had what it took to be praetor, to lead.

He guessed he would just have to wait and find out.

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Michael finally finished unpacking his stuff. He hadn't exactly brought much, but it still felt good. He was staying in his father's old room. Ant had added an extra set of rooms, on the floor below, somehow. When Michael had asked him about it, he had just shrugged.

"Easily done, with a little bit of magic help."

He sat on his bed now, looking again at the map. This map, which would hopefully lead him to his parents. For once, his parents were relying on him. He couldn't let them down.

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. It was Emma. Michael's sister was three years younger than him at thirteen, and she had her father's pale skin and almond shaped eyes, as well as vivid black hair. She had Hazel's golden eyes though, which were worried right now.

"What's up?" Michael asked, though as he said it, he knew it was a stupid question. He knew why she was here.

Emma moved towards him. "Do you think mum and dad… do you think they'll be alright?"

Michael smiled at her. "Hey, we're trained to be heroes. We'll rescue them."

Emma nodded. "I drew this, in my sleep. I don't know what it means."

Emma, like her mother, was a talented artist. She especially liked to draw animals- which was especially appropriate, seeing she could become them, having inherited Periclymenus' gift of shape shifting.

The drawing was of a random selection of dots, with lines drawn between them, forming a seemingly meaningless symbol. Michael studied it for a few seconds.

"I don't know," he said finally, giving up. "But I'm going to keep this. If you drew it in your sleep… it could be a message from the Gods."

He didn't say what else passed on his mind. _It could be a message from the Gods… or something else altogether._

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Michael studied the people gathered in the mess hall around him. They were nearly at Warrensville, and he had called a meeting.

Sitting next to him was Emma, and next to her, Lily. The 13 year old had blonde hair, but Piper's eyes. She also had charmspeak, and around her shoulder was slung the cornucopia.

Amy was two years older, and while she was a dead ringer for Piper looks wise, she had her father's storm powers. But she couldn't control the wind- Hector, the youngest Grace child at 9 years, had received that power. Michael also knew that Hector, who had brown hair but electric blue eyes, that he would one day be a pretty good swordsman, having seen him play around- but Hector was too young to be on this quest, and so had stayed at Camp Half-Blood.

Next came Reid, Grover's son. He was a small satyr, 12 years old, and had his father's looks.

Damian was sitting next to him, then the twins, Aria and Adam, then Maia. While all the Jackson kids could breathe underwater and talk to sea animals, Maia was the only one who could control water. Aria and Adam were both skilled fighters, and Damian had his mother's intelligence.

Lastly came the Valdezes. Eva, who had her mother's titan powers, Ant, and Lina. The only child whom Leo had passed on his fire powers to, the youngest. Lina was only just starting to learn to control them.

Michael looked around the chatting table. He caught Eva's eye, and his heart skipped a beat. Eva was pretty; there was no denying it. She had her mother's long, caramel hair, soft and silky, but her father's cheeky black eyes. Eva nodded at him, motioning around the table.

Michael cleared his throat. "Hey guys. So we're nearly approaching Warrensville, which is the location on the map."

"How long?" Damian asked.

"About 15 minutes," Michael responded.

"So what do we do when we get there?" Reid asked.

"We send a party out to investigate."

"Why not all of us?" Adam asked, looking confused.

Maia answered the question. "It would be too dangerous. We'd attract to many monsters. My parents told me that when they went on their quest, they only sent smaller parties out."

Michael nodded. "Yep, exactly. So I think only three of us should go out."

"Who?" Aria asked.

"I'll be going. I think I should go on this first outing," Michael said. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"I'll go too," Eva spoke up. When everyone looked at her, she explained. "I have my mother's healing powers. If someone's down there, they could be hurt."

Michael nodded. "That makes sense. And the final member-"

"Me," Lily piped up. "I've been to Warrensville before, on a trip. I think I know my way round. It could be useful."

"Ok then. So Eva, Lily and I will go down and check out Warrensville."

This wasn't Michael's first quest, but he was nervous. If there was someone relying on him down there- he would save them.

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**Next chapter will be up on either friday or the weekend. More reviews means a quicker update, so review now! Enter the competition!**

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**Update: I've had some requests, so I'm adding a guide to the legacies here. You can always refer back to it later on in the story :) It has their parentage and age. **

**The Jackson Family\- Percy and Annabeth **

**Maia- 16, Aria and Adam (twins)- 14, Damian- 12**

**Zhang Family\- Frank and Hazel **

**Michael-16, Emma-13 **

**Grace Family\- Jason and Piper **

**Amy- 15, Lily- 13, Hector- 8 **

**Valdez Family\- Leo and Calypso **

**Eva- 16, Antonio (Ant)- 14, Adelina (Lina) -12**


	4. Chapter 3

**Toujours L'Espoir: Michael is the son of Frank and Hazel :)**

**AngelTheAwesome: Thank you! Your idea sound really cool, but please enter a character for Reyna's husband! Only then can I use your character of Nico's daughter as a prize :) **

**Enter Reyna competition! Next chapter will be posted as soon as I get at least 4 reviews!**

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Chapter 3

Michael

Warrensville wasn't exactly the most exciting place, but it was a nice, quiet town. Michael wasn't sure why the map had lead them here.

He looked at Lily. "Why did you come here on a trip?'

Lily shrugged. "It was with school. There's a war museum somewhere around here."

Michael looked at the map. "This seems to want us to go in that direction. We should be there."

Lily stopped. "I know where we're meant to be."

Eva gave a small _oh_ in realization.

At the end of the road, written over a great, were the words:

_WARRENSVILLE CEMETERY_

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"This is quite creepy," Eva commented. Michael agreed. Though it was broad daylight, the overhanging trees blocked out any sunlight, casting them all in shadow. The gravestones were all crumbling, the names fading.

"There's some sort of magic here…" Eva frowned in concentration.

"Doing what?" Lily asked nervously.

"It seems to be casting a façade over the graveyard, anchoring it to… to the underworld."

"So this isn't actually Warrensville cemetery?" Michael asked.

"No, it is, but it's been distorted. There's something waiting for us."

"Is it the dead?" Lily asked. "Michael, can you sense any?"

"I can't sense dead, remember?" Michael reminded her. "Only got power over gems. Which by the way, there are many." He tugged his hand up, and glistening, coal black stones were thrust to the surface of the earth.

Suddenly there was a crunching of stones behind them. Michael whirled around. "It's a rat," he said in relief.

"Look, there are more of them." Lily pointed to where a couple more rats were scurrying in the gravel and dirt.

"They're coming towards us," Eva realized.

More and more were approaching them, swarming around them. Michael bounded forward, past the crowd, kicking a few with his shoes. "Come on!" he yelled. The rat's eyes glowed red. Michael should have realized it earlier. These weren't normal rats. They were bigger than normal, and had sharper, canine teeth. One launched itself at him. He yelled, and brandished his sword at it.

Lily and Eva sped after him, the rats running behind them.

"There! That has to be where we're meant to go!" Eva cried. In front of them were steps in the ground, as if leading to a dungeon. Beyond the steps were darkness, but as a descendant of Pluto, Michael figured he stood the best chance. He ran down the steps, into the black, Lily and Eva behind him.

They _were _in a dungeon. The area was large, and lit by candles. Skulls decorated the walls and floor, and as Michael moved, his shoe crunched against bones. Opposite them was a cell, iron barred, with a locked door. Through the bars, Michael could see the identity of the lone prisoner.

"Uncle Nico!" he cried out.

Nico was chained to the wall, his sword flung aside out of his reach. He was slumped against the wall, his black hair hiding his eyes. "Michael?" he asked.

Michael felt a surge of anger rush through him. He had always been close to his uncle Nico. He was always welcome at his and Will's place. To see him chained like this…

Suddenly, the rats swarmed in behind them, entering the dungeon. As they crossed the threshold, their skin melted away, leaving skeletal rodents, jumping at them, baring their teeth.

"Ok," Eva said, as she unsheathed her dagger. "That is just creepy."

Michael moved towards the door of Nico's cell, but before he could reach, the earth erupted in front of him.

Five skeletal warriors burst out in front of him. "Spartoi," he cursed. He had heard about these skeleton warriors, devilishly hard to kill. His father had once received one as a gift from Mars, but these skeletons were clearly not friendly.

The skeletons attacked. All three of them charged. Michael swung his sword at the first one, jumping back as it swung at him.

He heard Nico mutter something under his breath. Michael leapt forward, swinging his sword, and one of the warriors collapsed into a pile of bones.

"How did you kill it?" Eva asked. Nico slumped forwards, unconscious. Michael realised that Nico had helped him out, being son of the underworld and all. But how would he kill the rest?

Lily darted forward, blocking a blow from a skeleton.

"What are you doing?" Michael grunted.

Lily didn't answer, but instead picked up some keys from the pile of bones.

It took a second for Michael to understand. Keys! To Nico's cell! Lily dashed to the cell door. But there were tens of keys on the ring. It would take ages to try them all out!

"What's a skeleton doing with so many keys, huh?" Lily panted. She started trying them out.

Michael went into combat mode. He slashed and dodged and swung, but none of his strikes made any effect on the skeletons. Suddenly he felt a scattering on the back of his legs, and his heel erupted in pain. He stumbled. The rats!

Before another rat could pounce, on him, Lily shouted, "Stay back!" Michael nearly moved backwards himself. The charmspeak was strong, and whenever the rats tried to attack again, Lily shouted out a few commands.

"We can't kill them without Nico," Michael said to Eva between blows.

Eva ducked a sword strike. She frowned in concentration, before starting to mutter something under her breath. Michael saw Nico starting to stir. Healing magic!

Lily finally yelled in triumph, and with a clang the cell door swung open. Nico opened his eyes as Eva muttered a final line, and, registering the scene with shock, waved his hand.

Michael parried a blow, and smacked a skeleton to bits. Eva stabbed another, and Michael swung his sword with a yell, destroying the last two.

He ran towards Nico. "Uncle Nico! Are you okay?"

Nico smiled at him. "I'm fine. Thanks for rescuing me, all of you."

"What happened? Who kidnapped you?" Lily asked.

Nico frowned. "I don't know. I was out by the lake, when suddenly I fell unconscious. I woke up here."

"Do you know where the others are?" Eva said hopefully.

"The others?" Nico stared at her. "Others are gone too?"

Michael's heart sank. Nico clearly couldn't help them in finding the location of the others.

Suddenly Nico started. "I- I'm being transported."

"What?"

"Back to Camp Half-Blood." Nico was starting to fade. He grabbed Michael's arm. "Listen, Michael. If there are others who are gone, you should find them."

"But, what about you?"

"I'll be fine. This transportation… I don't know who's doing it, but it's not dangerous. I can sense it. I'll tell Camp what happened." He was nearly faded completely. "Good luck!"

And then he was gone.

"What do we do now?"

"Now?" Michael turned round, facing the light that peeked out from above the ground. "We go back to the ship."

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**Hope you enjoyed that. Review before you go, next chapter posted after 4 reviews. **


	5. Chapter 4

**Next chapter! Thanks for all reviews! **

**Next chapter has ALREADY BEEN WRITTEN. IT WILL BE POSTED SOONER IF I GET MORE REVIEWS. If I get enough reviews, it could be posted in an hour, or one day, or three. It depends. So review now! **

**Oh, also, enter the competition. It's really easy, just a character for Reyna's husband, it doesn't even have to be a made up one, it can be a character from the books who you think should be with her! and the reward is you get to see that take place in this story and any character of your own choice and creation be written about in this story! So enter now!**

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Chapter 4

Antonio

"So you met some zombie rats, battled some undying skeletons, and saw Nico vanish?" Maia whistled. "Sounds fun."

Eva grimaced. "It was… different. But at least Nico's safe now." Michael nodded in agreement.

"So what now?" Reid asked. "Where do we go next?"

"Check the map, maybe," Adam wondered.

Michael took the map out of his pocket, and unfolded it, laying it on the table. Ant could see that a new location was glowing.

"Bridgebrace national park, Canada."

"So that's our next destination, then," Emma said.

"Do you think there'll be another person there for us to rescue?" Adam asked.

Damian frowned. "I think there might be. And…" he hesitated.

"What is it?" Aria asked. "You've thought of something, haven't you?"

"It's just, if we're going to individually rescue each one of the kidnapped heroes, perhaps the location is relevant?"

"What, like how it seems to be showing the closest location from our current whereabouts?" Amy asked.

"Yeah!" Damian said eagerly. "And also, you found Nico in a cemetery right?" Lily nodded.

"Which is exactly where you'd expect to find a son of Hades," Ant realized.

"Exactly!"

"So what, you think the location could be relevant to who's captured there?" Lina questioned.

Damian shrugged. "It makes sense."

"So who could we be rescuing next? Maybe we could figure it out from the next location?" Aria said thoughtfully.

Michael looked at the map. "Well it is in Canada… that's where my dad grew up. It could be him."

"Maybe…" Eva said, pulling the map towards herself. "But it's on a mountain, though. That makes it seem like it will be-"

"Dad!" Lily said.

Amy nodded. "I think it'll be dad. I can sense a storm coming too, more powerful as we get closer."

Michael nodded. "So if it is Jason…"

"I'll go," Amy said immediately. "I have storm powers anyway. I can deal with it."

"Me too. My water powers could be useful in a storm," Maia pointed.

Reid spoke up. "I should go too. It's a nature reserve. I could help."

"Ok then," Michael said. "Amy, Maia and Reid will go try and rescue Jason." He looked at Ant. "How long till we get to the park?"

Ant shrugged. "I'll input the co-ordinates to Festus, but I reckon it'll be about an hour. I'll sound the bell when we're nearly there."

"Thanks. Well, I guess that's it then."

* * *

"Stupid engine block," Ant muttered. He was down in the engine room of the ship, trying to unblock one of the exhaust pipes. It needed some oiling- the ship hadn't travelled out of camp for a while now.

He wished Leo was with him right now. His dad would do it easily, but Ant was still trying to acquaint himself with the messy engine room. He was a bit neater than that, more like his mum.

Once he had finished, he went above deck, to the dragonhead. It was freezing cold, rain pouring down. Ant couldn't see ahead of him due to the grey clouds. He laid a hand on Festus. "Doing alright, buddy?"

Festus creaked affectionately. The co-ordinates beeped. They were twenty minutes away from Bridgebrace park.

"Are you crazy?" Ant turned around to see Adam, his blonde hair soaked by the rain. "Why you up here? It's cold and wet. You should get back down."

Ant shrugged. "What d'you think? I'm driving the ship."

Adam smirked. "Shouldn't you wait till you've got a learners permit?"

"Does any demigod?" Ant smiled. It was refreshing to talk to his friend in this light manner. "What are you doing up here then?"

Adam shrugged. "Fresh air."

"Where's Aria?" Ant said casually over the constant sploshing of the rain on the deck.

"Talking to Lily and Emma in her cabin. Why?" Adam grinned knowingly. Ant just shrugged.

"Just wondering," he blushed.

There was a moment of silence, before Adam spoke. "Feel's weird doesn't it?" He elaborated when Ant looked at him. "Without our parents, I mean. They're meant to be the heroes, but now we have to rescue them."

Ant considered that. "Well, maybe it's our turn to be heroes."

Suddenly the ship lurched sideways. Ant heard a shriek below, before the ship righted itself.

Lina appeared above deck. "What was that?"

"The storm," Ant replied. "Call the others. We're nearly there." Ant turned around. He put his hand on Festus. "How is it?"

Festus groaned in reply.

"What did he say?" Adam asked.

Ant hesitated. "He said, that this isn't just any old storm. There's something powerful about it."

Adam grimaced. Ant focused harder. He could feel there was something odd with the ship… something out of place. Before he could find out what it was, Adam spoke up, peering through the mist, before looking at the map. "Hey, dude, we're there."

Ant nodded, his hand moving to the left. It was time for someone to be rescued, but something felt dangerous about the storm.

He rung the bell, the sound resounding across the ship.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed that. Review for a quicker update- I'll post it tomorrow afternoon if I get enough, and enter the Reyna competition!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Next chapter. thanks for the reviews! Next chapter will be posted after I get some reviews. **

**If I get four reviews, I will publish the next chapter today! ****It's pre-written, so the only thing I'm waiting for before publishing it is reviews. So enjoy the chapter and get reviewing!**

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Chapter 5

Amy

Amy thought she knew _storm_.

Oh, how wrong she was.

The thing outside was more like a hurricane, the wind howling, rain pouring down, lightning flickering down, everywhere, flashes of light illuminating the grey clouds.

She grabbed Maia's hand, and took Reid's in the other. They couldn't afford to get separated. She could feel the ship moving outwards, away from the heart of the storm. They had realised the mountaintop was their destination, so they had agreed to drop the three of them down as close as possible, as far as the ship could make it. If they needed help, they just had to send a signal.

Amy forged forwards. They couldn't be too far from the mountaintop, couldn't afford to take to long. They would freeze out here, if they weren't struck by lightning first.

Of course, Amy jinxed it. There was a flash ahead of them, blindingly bright, before a split second later, there was a loud BOOM! Amy dived forward instinctively, hitting the ground low, the other two tumbling down with her. It was a stupid mistake. It wouldn't protect them from the lightning; it just slowed them down.

Amy knew something was wrong. It felt like the storm was pulsing, magical even. Dangerous, more dangerous than any normal storm. It was like the storm… was attacking them.

Amy tensed. "Move!" she screamed. She scrambled upwards, pulling Reid and Maia with her. They just managed to avoid the lightning strike that crashed down behind them.

"Run!" Amy yelled over the storm, which was definitely trying to kill them now. They leaped forward, sprinting up the mountain. It couldn't be much further now, till they reached the top. The wind was rushing against them, howling in Amy's ears, there was going to be a lightning strike soon, Amy could fee-

Suddenly Amy tumbled out into a clearing. The air was calm and visible. They were in a protected bubble in the top of the green mountain. The storm was still raging on, but they were safe from it in their little dome of peace.

"What… what is this?" Reid asked.

"The wind can't get closer to us, for some reason," Maia wondered.

"They're storm spirits," Amy realised. "That's why the storm is so powerful, and why it seems like they're trying to kill us. It's the biggest gathering of storm spirits I've ever seen…"

"So why aren't they killing us now?"

"They can't get to us yet, not while we're here. But they're getting closer, like slowly they're breaking through a barrier."

Suddenly there was a small groan. Amy whirled round. In the centre of the mountain, the peak, her father was tied against a pole, leaning back on it, slumped against the ground.

"Dad!" Amy cried, running over to him. He was conscious, but weak, devoid of energy. While there was no visible mark on him, he was sallow and tired.

Jason just smiled weakly at her. Suddenly Amy felt a push in her gut. Her father closed his eyes, scowling in concentration. Amy realised that her father was keeping the storm spirits back, but he didn't have enough energy to sustain it for much longer.

Maia ran over, and unsheathed her dagger. She cut the ropes loose, and Jason sighed in relief. "Now how are we meant to get out of here?" Maia asked.

"We can't, can we?" Reid asked tentatively. "Not while the storm spirits are here."

Amy nodded. "My dad's holding them back, but he can't do it for much longer. I'll see what I can do." Amy gulped. She wasn't sure she could do anything. "Maia, try and dissemble the storm spirits, using your powers. Reid, defend my dad from any storm spirits that break through the barrier." They both nodded.

Amy moved forward, and closed her eyes. She thrust her hands in the air, and summoned a lightning strike. She lowered the air pressure with a pop, the rain coming down faster and more furious.

They wanted storm? Amy would give it to them.

Her father's energy was depleting, so Amy took over the job. She fought each storm spirit, fighting storm with storm, disintegrating them. She could feel Maia separating them, wreaking havoc to them, before Amy struck the final blow. Her eyes closed, she could feel the storm, the energy surging through her.

Now that she had moved to the offensive, the barrier keeping the storm back was weaker. Some got through, but Reid quickly took care of them by putting his pan pipes to his lips.

The last few spirits were disintegrating, the storm finishing. Finally Amy lowered her hands, opening her eyes.

The grass was wet and muddy, but the sky was clear, the rain stopped. Maia looked at her, impressed. "That was something."

Amy blushed. "It wasn't that much."

"No, you don't realise," Reid said, awestruck, "You were part of the storm, the lightning around you. It was kind of scary but awesome."

"Amy," Jason croaked.

Amy rushed over to her dad. "Dad, are you okay?"

Jason smiled. "I'm fine. More than fine. That was a nice display of storm powers right there. Granddad would be proud." Jason sat up. "I can feel myself being dragged away. I'll be gone soon. All of you be careful."

"But how did you get kidnapped?" Maia asked.

"There was a green light in the big house, and then I was gone. I can't remember anything else." Suddenly Jason coughed, before being slipped away back to camp half blood.

Amy stood up straight. "Come on. Hopefully the ship will be here soon."

"Wait, what's that?" Amy looked to where Reid was pointing. In the distance there was a group of weird creatures, bounding there way towards them. They were in a large pack, and moving towards them with frightening speed.

"Are those… lions?" Amy asked.

Maia frowned. "Something tells me they'll be a lot worse than that."

Reid raised his pan pipes to his lips and started playing, a soft-spoken melody. The trees near the pack of creatures suddenly started falling, encasing them in a dome of vegetation, trapping them.

"Reid, that's amazing!" Amy exclaimed.

"It won't last very long though. They'll soon get out of it. We need to leave here, now."

Suddenly, there was a rush of air behind them. The Argo II was approaching them, its sails billowing in the wind, the rope ladder dropping down the side.

"Just in time," Maia smiled.

* * *

**:) Liked the chapter? Tell me! Next chapter posted after reviews, as I said next one will be posted TODAY, IF I GET FOUR REVIEWS. So if you want to read the next chapter now, just review!**


	7. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! Thanks for those reviews, some of them were really uplifting!**

**Astroboyosh: Maia has the same powers as Percy- she can control water. **

**So, as per usual, next chapter has been written already. However it will only be posted after some reviews and some entries to the Reyna competition. Some of you have entered by reviewing, some by PM- thank you to those who have, and others please enter! If you want to know the details of the competition see the authors note at the bottom of chapter 1. Only after some entries will I post it. So if i get that I will post tomorrow or wednesday, otherwise friday/weekend. So get entering now, it's really easy!**

**Enjoy this chapter, and oh, for all of you who like Eragon- the Inheritance Cycle books, please read my new story, A New Beginning!**

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Chapter 6

Aria 

"Wow," Aria managed to get out.

"I know right." Adam grinned.

"How did you-?"

"Ant showed it to me earlier."

The armoury was almost as good as the one back at camp half blood. Rows of gleaming swords, pointed spears, strung bows. It was amazing.

The door swung open. Lily and Emma walked in. "Sorry we're late," Emma said, "we got delayed by my brother on the wa- woah." Lily whistled in appreciation.

The Argo II was floating in the clouds a short distance off from the mountain where Maia, Reid and Amy went off to rescue Jason. Ant was waiting above deck with Michael for a signal, while the others rested.

Aria walked forward, tracing a lightly across the celestial bronze weapons, harmless to mortals, but deadly to monsters. Her hand came to a rest at the bow and arrow section. She picked one up and balanced it in her palm.

Adam smiled. "Finally, getting a new bow. It can only be an upgrade from your last one."

Aria loved using a bow and arrow, something she clearly hadn't got from her father. Unfortunately, her old bow had gotten creaky and rusted, and had broke only a couple of weeks ago.

Aria looked at Adam, her twin brother, sideways. She knew him well enough to know that he had brought her here on purpose, hoping she would take a new bow.

"Well, it's better than that crop cutter of yours," she smiled.

"Theristis is a great sword," Adam said, mock offended, unsheathing his blue tinted sword. The name Theristis, while it meant warrior, or reaper, in Greek, could also mean harvester, which was always a sore spot for Adam. Over time though, he had gotten used to Aria's endless teasing.

Suddenly, Aria spotted something out of the corner of her eye. She walked over and pulled out a bow from a lower rack. She stared at it for a second, taking it in. The bow was breathtaking.

It was long and sleek, a polished black bow with hints of dark blue, elegantly curved. She could feel the power and the tension as the bow balanced perfectly in her hand, the grip moulding into her relaxed palm. She took out the quiver of arrows as well, twenty deadly, blue-feathered arrows, with celestial bronze, deadly sharp tips.

"It's perfect," she breathed.

Emma nodded in agreement. "I think my dad would approve."

"Why don't we try it out?" Adam volunteered.

Before anyone could respond, the ship shook. Aria stumbled. Suddenly, it ceased, and Aria caught her balance.

"What was that?" Lily asked.

Aria exchanged a look with her brother. "I think we better go upstairs."

* * *

Turned out the storm had stopped. Amy, Reid and Maia were on the deck, having just climbed up the ladder.

"We need to get out of here," said Maia, cutting to the chase.

Reid nodded in agreement. "There's some pack of creatures following us. We should move."

Ant nodded, and swerved the ship round, sailing through the air.

"How did it go?" Adelina asked.

Amy smiled. "We managed to rescue dad." She explained what had happened on the mountain.

"So we were right, about the location being relevant?" Damian asked.

"Seems like it," Reid agreed.

"What's the next location then?" Adam asked.

Michael studied the map. "Beaver Island, Michigan."

"Beaver Island?" Antonio raised an eyebrow as he locked the location in on Festus' GPS. "The satellite imagery shows that it's pretty empty. A beach island owned privately."

"A beach island?" Eva asked. "Sound's like it'll be-"

"Calypso," Aria finished. Everyone nodded. "I think I should go," Aria blurted out. Everyone looked at her, and she turned red. "I have a feeling… I've dreamed about an island. This could be it."

Eva nodded. "If it is mom, I'd like to go too."

"Me too! I can help mom!" Adelina said enthusiastically.

Michael looked at them. He scratched his head. "Well, ok then. Ant, how long till we get there?"

"Tomorrow afternoon I would say. Festus will be a bit slower. He was heavily affected by the storm, but I'll try and fix it tomorrow."

"Well if we have tomorrow morning, we should have a training session," Adam suggested. "It could help, you know, working as a team."

Michael nodded. "That's a good idea, Adam. So tomorrow, training, but for now, I think we should all catch some rest. It's dark, and we've had a long day."

* * *

_It was a sunny day at Camp Half-Blood. Aria was standing outside the Poseidon cabin, birds flying above. She could see some campers practising sword fighting in the distance. For some reason there were far fewer cabins. _

_ Suddenly, the campers started to move more slowly. The birds flew centimetres a second, each flap taking minutes to complete. Time had slowed down. The sea started to rage, tidal waves hitting the camp. Fire started burning, devouring the cabins. Aria started to yell for help, but the fire reached her too, burning, overtaking her-_

_ Suddenly she appeared in Camp Jupiter this time. She was in New Rome, in the fountain plaza, the gate that linked the two camps to her right. The earth started to shake, the buildings collapsing. The gushing water from the fountain began to trickle to a halt, and instead the pumps started shooting sand. The whole city was collapsing. Aria herself was being dragged downwards, sinking to the earth, till the ground was at her face, and she couldn't breathe, and-_

_ She was gone again, standing on the top of the gate now. She was Aetos, the eagle guardian who watched over the gate. Green mist started to overtake both camps, every inch being covered, taken, swallowed, destroyed by an indestructible force, and behind it, a maniacal laughter. Soon the mist overtook her, and the vision changed. _

_ This time she saw the beach island, an idyllic paradise. _Be ready, my dear, _a voice whispered to her. It almost sounded like her mom, but more powerful, more godly even… _You shall receive the warning here. Take heed, for it could destroy you, all of you… _And Aria was floating away from the island, higher and higher. _

_ She could hear her parents calling out to her. "Mum?" she cried out. "Dad?" There was a response, a calling of her name. She tried to run towards it, but she was being dragged away, going, and-_

Aria burst upwards, gasping from her dream. Though she hadn't fully understood it, she could tell one thing.

It most definitely did _not_ mean something good.

* * *

**Credit to anyone who can figure out what the dream means- or at least the beginning of it. It's not too hard!**

**Like I said, next chapter posted after some entries to the Reyna competition.**


	8. Chapter 7

**Sorry for the later-than-usual update. I wanted to post it Friday evening but I was busy and so couldn't get around to it- and the fanfiction was down the whole of saturday so I couldn't post anything! So sorry for that, but here it is now. **

**Thanks for all reviews, and many thanks to the submissions for the Reyna competition. Some of you were closer to interpreting the dream than others (:p), but I can tell you none of you have got it fully right yet. **

**The next chapter will be posted after some submissions and reviews. If there's not enough it will be posted next friday/weekend, but if I get quite some, I'll be happy to post it tomorrow/tuesday! So get reviewing, and get submitting ideas for the Reyna competition (details in chapter 1).**

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**Update: I've had some requests, so I'm adding a guide to the legacies here. You can always refer back to it later on in the story :) It has their parentage and age. **

**The Jackson Family\- Percy and Annabeth **

**Maia- 16, Aria and Adam (twins)- 14, Damian- 12**

**Zhang Family\- Frank and Hazel**

** Michael-16, Emma-13 **

**Grace Family\- Jason and Piper **

**Amy- 15, Lily- 13, Hector- 8 **

**Valdez Family\- Leo and Calypso **

**Eva- 16, Antonio (Ant)- 14, Adelina (Lina) -12**

**I just added it as it might come in useful for this chapter, if you can't remember all the legacies yet. This guide is also in chapter 2 (bottom a/n). I most likely won't be posting this in any of the other chapters, so if, for some bizarre reason, you can't remember how old a legacy is, or who their parents are, you can refer to this guide, or the identical one in chapter 2. Their powers won't be here though- this should be evident in the story. If you really wanna know though and can't be bothered to find out while reading the chapter, all their powers are mentioned during chapter 2.**

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Chapter 7

Aria

Aria stood on the deck, hugging herself to protect her bare arms from the chilly breeze. Ant, who was standing next to her, looked at her.

"Oh, d'you want my jacket?" he asked, blushing.

Aria smiled. "No, it's fine. I'll be warm enough once we start."

"Oh. Okay, then." He paused. "Listen, Aria-"

"Okay, guys," Michael said to the group gathered on the deck. "I know it's cold, but we'll be at Beaver Island soon, and I thought it might be a good time to do some training. You know, as a group. It could come useful on this quest."

"So what are we doing?" asked Adelina.

"Capture the flag," Maia responded.

Michael nodded. "Yup. We'll use the deck as the playing area- it should be big enough. The door will act as a halfway line. And obviously, all weapons have to be rubber, and no harming with powers. I think Eva's got that covered with enchantments?" He looked at her.

She nodded. "Yup. It took some time, but you'll all be safe, long enough for the game at least."

"What are the teams?" Damian asked.

Michael shrugged. "Random, probably. I'm going to hand out a hat. It has six red pieces and six blue. Everyone take one randomly."

The hat was passed round and soon reached Aria. She closed her eyes, and thrusted her hand in the hat, reaching out. She turned over the piece of coloured paper. Red.

"Okay, red on that side and blue on the other?" Adam guessed. Everyone moved to their side.

Aria surveyed her team-mates. Michael was on her team, as well as Amy and Reid. Ant was also here, grinning for some reason. And next to her was her younger brother, a nervous expression on his face.

"Hey." She put a hand on Damian's shoulder. "You'll do just fine. Plus, we need you for strategizing. Thanks to you, we've got an advantage."

Damian smiled weakly, but it was short-lived. "Unless I mess up."

Aria shook her head firmly. Michael cleared his throat. "So, I think we should send one person to get to the flag, while the others try and tackle the rest of the team." He looked at Damian.

Damian nodded. "Just keep them all focused."

"But who should be the person to go for the flag?" Reid asked.

"I think Aria," Amy said. "It would make sense. She's quick."

Damian nodded. "Yeah, but," he turned to Aria, "you shouldn't try and go for it straight away. They'll be expecting that. Wait a bit."

Michael nodded. "Yep. Damian, you defend our flag. Ant, Amy, Reid and I will fight them, and so will you Aria, but when they're distracted, go for the flag. Everyone clear?" Everyone nodded.

"Cool." Michael turned to face the other team. "Ready?" Maia nodded.

Festus, who Ant had programmed to referee the game, started a ten second timer.

When it reached zero, everything turned hectic.

The first thing that happened was that Maia raised her hands, and a wave of water swept over their side and crashed into them. It didn't do any damage, but Aria was now soaking wet.

Aria was about to retaliate, but Reid raised his pan pipes to his lips, and immediately sea vines started to creep out from the water, tying themselves around Maia.

Michael took the opportunity to race forward, sword raised, but Lily immediately uttered a command, slowing him down with her charmspeak. Eva drew her dagger. Even a dulled Michael could still be a threat.

While the fighting ensued, with Ant, Leo-style, drawing a hammer out, and charging towards Adam, Aria noticed that Adelina was about to use her fire powers to destroy the vines. Aria drew an arrow, the tip dulled to rubber, and fired it. The bow was exhilarating, and the mark was true, and while it didn't harm her, it knocked her off balance. Before she could try again, Amy charged forwards, the air crackling around her. Lina shot a blast of fire, trying to slow her down.

Maia managed to break free of the vine, and continued to use her water powers, managing to soak Damian. But Reid continued to retaliate, and soon they were engaged in an intense combat.

She noticed Lily was starting to creep forward, and Aria immediately shot an arrow, dazing her. Aria immediately had to change target. Maia, who was starting to overcome Reid, faced an arrow hurtling towards her.

Ant was managing to throw Eva, who was still battling with Michael, off balance with his hammer, but Adam was slowly beating him back with his sword strokes.

Aria realised this was her chance. She ran forward, but at the same time noticed Lily was advancing towards their side. But Aria had no time to stop her- Damian would have to deal with it. Plus, she was certain she could make it to the flag in time, it was completely open, with everyone else preoccupied.

Aria lunged forward, her fingers curling around the pole of the flag. She smiled in triumph. No one had even noticed her, she could make it back to her side in time.

She had only just started running, when she was knocked sideways, by- by an eagle?

Emma! She had forgotten about her, who had transformed into a bird early on amid the fighting, guarding the flag.

Aria rolled forward, dodging another strike. Emma transformed back into human.

Aria could see Damian fighting off Lily, who hadn't managed to get the flag yet. Michael was recovering his senses, but Maia's water strikes were affecting him too. Eva continued to spar him, while at the same time dodging Ant's blows, who was getting beaten back by Adam. Lina was engaged in close combat with Amy, the crackling electricity sparking the fire. Everyone was focused.

Aria knew what to do. She had to make it to the other side, she was so close.

She leapt forward. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Emma, eagle once again, swooping towards her. But Aria could make it, she had to make it…

Suddenly there was a loud BOOM! and Aria and everyone else were thrown sideways, as the ship grinded to a halt.

"What just happened?" Amy asked.

Aria looked around. She could see an island not too far away- Beaver Island.

"Why have we stopped here?" she asked.

Ant frowned, as he listened to Festus creaking. "There's some kind of magical force. The ship can't go any further."

"Then how are we going to get to Beaver island?" Eva said urgently.

Lily pointed over the side of the ship. "I would guess by that."

* * *

Aria was ready to climb down the ladder. Michael nodded at her.

"You'll be fine. Maia will be controlling the currents to help you go faster."

Aria nodded. Michael, Maia, Eva, Adelina and her were the only ones left on the deck. Everyone else had gone below deck, preparing for the shudder.

Eva started to descend the ladder. As soon as she crossed the magical barrier, the ship shuddered. Aria had to balance herself.

She was next. She was about to start climbing, when Ant hurried up the deck.

"Oh, Aria! Wait!" he ran forward to her. Aria looked at him. He held his palms out. Lying on it was on of her blue-feathered arrows. "I found it. Take it."

Aria smiled. "Oh, thanks."

Ant hesitated. "Good luck," he said, before hugging his sister, wishing her the same, and walking back below deck.

Aria descended, and she could see the ship shake as she passed the barrier.

She dropped down on the raft, a wooden log square. It was amazing it was floating. It had appeared when the ship had been stopped.

Eva smiled at her, as Lina also came down. "Ready?" she asked them. They both nodded, and with Maia's current pushing them faster, the raft started to move towards the beach island in the distance.

* * *

**Did you like the whole training/capture the flag scene? I had a lot of fun writing it, showcasing everyone's abilities. **

**Next chapter after reviews and submissions for Reyna competition! Thanks!**


	9. Chapter 8

**So, hey guys. I realise this update was later than usual, but that was for a good reason. Honestly, I'm quite disappointed with the amount (or lack thereof) of reviews/feedback my story got last chapter. To the one person who did review:**

**Guest 345- thanks for your review! I can't tell you how nice it was to see. I can see that you're quite close with your prediction, but not entirely... :)**

**So yes, the next chapter will be posted whenever I get some reviews or feedback! Otherwise, I just feel like I'm wasting my time writing this. :(**

**So, if that's tomorrow, then I'll post it then, if it's next week, or two weeks, then it'll be then. The next chapter's already written, so the only thing I'm waiting for is reviews. **

**So review, and enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 8

Eva

Honestly, at this point, Eva would have been happy for a group of skeletons, or evil rats. Even a storm would've been good. Anything would be better than this.

Instead, she would die of boredom.

She was lying on her back, the winter sun not providing much warmth. It wasn't too cold, but it certainly wasn't beach weather.

Aria was splashing a hand through the water, communicating to some fish. Lina was tapping a finger on the wood.

The raft moved painfully slowly. It had been alright first, but when Maia's current became weaker due to the distance, it become a lot slower. It became even worse when they were nearly completely relying on the natural tide. It had been twenty minutes, something that seemed like a lifetime to Eva.

On the bright side, they were nearly there.

After another gruelling five minutes, the raft gently washed up on the shore of Beaver Island.

The island was fairly small. Beyond the beach was mainly sparse woodland, but on one side of the island there was a small village.

"So this is Beaver Island?" Lina asked. "Where are the beavers?"

Eva smiled. "I think it's quite nice. But where do you think we're meant to go?"

"I would say there," Aria responded, nudging Eva with her elbow. To the right, there seemed to be disturbances going on, leaves shaking.

"Could be mortals," Eva observed.

"Well why don't we find out?" Lina said, trudging forward.

* * *

It turned out it _wasn't_ mortals. It was… well, Eva wasn't entirely sure what it was.

They were in front of a large clearing in these woodlands. There was no sign of Calypso, or any of the captured heroes, but Eva could sense something. Her titan powers included magical sense as well as healing.

In fact, there seemed to be more than one thing here. Leaves were being shaken in the clearing, the ground being disturbed, and Eva could swear she heard _voices_.

Aria stepped forward into the clearing, Eva and Lina right behind her. A cold breeze rushed past them. The hairs on the back of Eva's neck stood up.

"You should not have come here, descendants of the gods," a voice hissed.

Eva spun round. The voice came out of thin air.

"Who are you?" she cried. "Where are you?"

The wind rushed around them, pushing them into the middle of the clearing.

"You cannot see us, but we are here," another voice emanated.

"What are you?" Lina asked.

"We are spirits."

"Invisible spirits," Eva realised. "Like the ones on mum's island. Do you have her?"

The voices hissed in distaste. "They are like us, yes, but they are subservient, weak. We are much darker, we shall not bow down! Yes, we have your mother, but you shall not find her. To us, you shall perish!"

The wind closed in on them, forcing them away from each other. It closed in on them.

"Wait!" Aria cried. "Why are you angry?"

"BECAUSE WE WERE FORGOTTEN! BANISHED FROM THE REALMS OF CONSCIOUSNESS!" The voices cried out together, making Eva jump. "We were just spirits, worth nothing to everyone. We faded away to nearly nothing, and now we shall have our revenge."

The wind rushed against Eva's face. She opened her mouth to speak, but cold air attacked her.

"No more words," the voice said. "Now, you die."

The spirits charged. Eva couldn't see them, but she could feel them, cold air sucking the life out of Eva.

She waved her dagger, and the celestial bronze made the spirits back away for a second, but soon they returned. Lina tried to shoot a burst of fire, but it soon died, the spirits overpowering it. Aria tried to dodge, roll out of the way, but she couldn't escape. She was started to look faint. Eva realised that she felt light-headed. She couldn't go on like this for much longer.

She did the only thing she could think of. She fell back on her mother's one, strongest power, the one she liked to use.

She remembered her father used to say that it was more powerful than anything else, and Eva had inherited it.

Like her mother, Eva began to sing.

It was a soft, flowing melody. Her mother used to sing it to her when she was younger. It was a song saying, however far you were from home, your family was always with you. That you _were_ at home, and loved.

The song came out naturally, like breathing. Aria looked at her, awestruck, and Lina had a smile on her face.

The song came to end, and Eva realised the spirits were becoming _visible_, their true form apparent.

As the song ended, the spirits were there. They were just normal human spirits, and they smiled at her.

"How?" Eva asked.

One spirit stepped forward, a bearded man. When he spoke, Eva recognised it was the spirit who spoke earlier, but his voice was different now, warmer. "Thank you, Eva Valdez. Your singing reminded us that we were not gone. It brought us back, saved us from our own bitterness, and for that we are grateful."

"Can we have our mother back then?" Lina asked.

The spirit smiled. "Of course. We shall be off, back to where we belong." His smile faded. "I warn you, your journey shall not be easy." And with that he was gone.

Calypso appeared, sitting down in the middle of the clearing, coughing.

"Mum!" Eva ran towards her, Lina behind her.

Calypso pulled them into an embrace. "Eva, Lina, I'm so glad you're okay." She kissed them both. "I don't have much time."

She grabbed Aria's wrist. "Aria."

Aria nodded. "The warning," she muttered.

"Yes. Don't…" Calypso was starting to fade. "Don't trust the star's gift."

"What the immortal horse does that mean?" Lina asked, but Calypso was already gone.

* * *

Eva climbed up the top of the ladder. Once she reached the top, Michael offered her a hand.

"Thanks," she said when she was on board. He smiled.

They soon told everyone what had happened. "Where's the next location?" Lily asked

Michael opened the map. They both put their finger on the location, and their hands met. Eva blushed, and they both pulled their hand's away.

"Dime, Iowa."

Ant nodded.

"Who do you think it will be?" Emma asked.

Michael shrugged. "There doesn't seem to be a clue."

"So we should figure it out, and decide who's going when we get there," Damian suggested. Everyone nodded.

"What do you think don't trust the star's gift means?" Aria asked.

No one was sure. Michael spoke up. "Look, we don't know. We shouldn't worry too much about it. Hopefully it will become clear."

Adam nodded. "In the mean time, it's dark. I think we should all have some rest."

* * *

**What do you think Calypso's warning means? What is the star's gift, and why shouldn't they trust it? Tell me what you think in the reviews!**

**Also, as many of you may have guessed, I don't know what the places I write about (eg. Beaver Island, Dime- Iowa, Warrensville) are actually like. I'm just picking places on the map that fit with my story, and then writing about them how I please. So sorry for any geographical or local errors about the places! It's not meant to be factual!**

**So review before you go, as the next chapter will only be posted after some reviews. No earlier, no later. **


	10. Chapter 9

**You. Guys. Are. Awesome. This update is quick because you guys actually responded! Thanks for the reviews, they mean a lot to me :) **

**Guest: Thanks! That's quite a good idea, I'll go back and start adding that in!**

**geekyglamour413: I'm glad you like the story! And now you have planted that idea in my head... maybe I should write a fic about it :D**

**Thanks to Guest3456 and NinjagoZaneLover for your nice reviews too! Some of your guesses were quite interesting, but you'll just have to wait and see. **

**Apologies for the slightly filler-y/short chapter, but it had to be done. It introduces something important.**

**Also, to DemigodVenaurora, this chapter is when the certain character is introduced :) To others, please also enter the Reyna Commpetition (details and prizes in chapter 1)**

**Same goes for the next chapter- it will be posted after some reviews! If I get a similar response to this chapter, it will be posted tomorrow, or even today! So get reviewing!**

* * *

Chapter 9

Antonio

Ant stood at the wheel of the Argo II, Festus warming him, protecting him from the chill of the night. It was around four in the morning, but still no sign of the sun. They weren't too far from Iowa, and they were flying low, passing empty farm fields.

Ant was worried about the ship. Festus had taken to flying low, because the winds higher up made it harder to fly for him. Ant suspected the storm when they had rescued Jason had taken it's toll.

Maia was standing near the back of the ship, looking at the fields as they passed them by. It had been her turn to take watch, and Ant wasn't due for night watch tonight, but he had woken up half an hour ago. He didn't even feel tired. He had come up here, offering to take Maia's place, but she refused, and now they were both here. Ant suspected that Maia, like himself, embraced the cool, fresh air.

It was a dark night, but there seemed to be one star in the sky, shining more brightly than usual. Ant found it peaceful.

Festus creaked merrily. Ant placed a hand on his head. "What's up, bud? You hanging in there all right?" Ant sighed. He promised himself that when he got a chance he would go down to the engine room and do some routine checks.

Suddenly Maia cried out it alarm. "Look! Ant!"

Ant rushed over to that side. In the distance were a group of hellhounds, facing off a dark haired boy who looked about sixteen, who was holding out a celestial bronze spear, trying to ward them off- but he was about to be overpowered.

Ant cursed. Festus slowed to a halt, now near the boy. The gangplank lowered, and before Ant rushed off, he pulled the alarm, hoping someone would wake up.

Ant and Maia ran to the boy. There were five hellhounds, all drooling, and their red eyes glowing in the dark.

Maia launched forward with her dagger, shredding one into dust. Ant responded likewise, smashing one with his hammer. The boy, who Ant just realised was suffering from an open wound, a large gash on his side, rejuvenated, swiped forward with his spear. Together, they disintegrated the last few hellhounds.

The boy winced in pain. There were now others on the deck, and Michael ran down, and before the boy could collapse, guided him up the gangway. Eva rushed over, and immediately poured some nectar onto the wound, which started to heal.

"What happened?" Amy asked.

"We just passed him by, fighting hell hounds," Ant explained.

Michael patiently waited for him to recover his breath. "What's your name?" he asked him when he had.

The boy straightened up. He was tall and lean with tanned skin, short black hair and dark blue eyes. He surveyed them all, a bit taken aback. "Kane," he said, slightly warily. His eyes scanned Ant, before lingering on Maia for a second. He nodded at both of them. "Thanks for saving me."

"Don't worry about it," Ant replied.

"Who are you people?" Kane asked.

"We… we're legacies. We're on a quest," Michael responded. "Are you a demigod?"

Kane shifted. "I'm a son of Kratos. He's a titan," he added when everyone looked confused, "but a good one! He's the titan of energy and force. He's pretty unknown."

"Why were you in a field fighting off some hellhounds instead of at camp?" Adam questioned. "Are you on a quest?"

Kane shook his head. "Actually, I was on my way to Camp Half-Blood for the first time."

"Camp Half-Blood? That's so far away!" Reid exclaimed.

Kane nodded. "My mum, uh, well, she died recently. I've always been able to fight for myself, so for a while I stayed with some of my friends further up north, fending for ourselves, living in a care home. Then Kratos revealed himself, gave me some weapons," he held up his spear, "and told me to go to Camp Half-Blood. I misjudged. I thought I could make it, but monsters started chasing me."

Michael considered it. "We're on a quest to find our missing parents. You won't be able to make it back to Camp Half-Blood by yourself, and we don't have time to go back. You'll have to come with us, till the end of the quest."

Kane gave a crooked smile. "Sounds fun."

* * *

Ant looked at the GPS in front of him. It was morning, the sun now firmly in the sky. They were nearly at Dime now, and Adam was next to him with the map, working out which way to go.

Everyone was on the deck, enjoying the rare sunlight. Kane was hovering nearby a chatting Maia and Eva. Maia had been chosen by chance to show Kane around, and introduce him to everybody.

Finally, Kane seemed to get bored and wandered over to Ant.

"Hey," he smiled at them. "Ant right? You saved me. And Adam, yes?"

They both nodded. "What are you doing?" he asked them.

"Working our way to the destination on the map," Adam said. Maia had already explained to him the situation, so Kane simply nodded.

"Look," he said suddenly.

In front of the sailing ship were acres of grassy fields, all with mole hills and underground tunnels stretching throughout.

"That's it," Ant said. "We're there."

* * *

**Hope you liked that? What d'you think of Kane? **

**Next chapter posted, as per usual, after reviews. Can be posted tomorrow or even today if lot's of people review! So if you're reading this, and want to read the next chapter now, review!**


	11. Chapter 10

**Wow- thanks for all the reviews! You guys really responded, so here's the next chapter. **

**Thank you to all of those who reviewed! Some of you had some interesting theories and comments- thank you for taking the time to review. **

**THIS IS THE LAST CHANCE TO ENTER THE REYNA COMPETITION. All submissions need to be in before the end of the next chapter.**

**The next chapter will be posted like usual after some reviews, the more reviews the quicker the update, but I also want some submissions for the Reyna competition- (details in a/n at end of chapter 1). The prize really is worth it- and it's so simple to enter!**

* * *

Chapter 10

Damian

A draught blew through the small tunnels. Damian shivered involuntarily. He felt like a rodent, forced to creep around in the dirt.

They were in a small underground tunnel, barely tall enough for Michael. The dirt didn't look solid enough for this not to collapse, but there must have been magic involved, because Michael reassured him it was stable.

They soon reached another crossroads. The tunnels were riddled with them, a seemingly endless maze.

"Which way?" Adam asked.

Michael closed his eyes. "That way," he said uncertainly, pointing left. Damian swiped the torch with the flame, lighting it. In case they needed to make their way back, they could just follow the lit torches, which hung off the wall.

They had decided it was most likely Hazel who would need rescuing in this dirt maze, and so Damian, Adam and Michael had volunteered to go.

Everything was currently quiet, which was strange. They, so far, hadn't run into anything which was out of the ordinary.

They continued walking down the maze, deciding to turn left on every crossroad, as for some reason Michael's underground senses were suppressed here. They had to reach Hazel eventually, Damian figured. He just hoped it was sooner rather than later.

"This place is creepy," Adam muttered.

Damian agreed. He preferred it when was light, which is why he had volunteered to hold the flame.

Suddenly they reached a dead end. Despite the passage being tiny, the wall in front of them seemed to stretch upwards forever.

"Maybe we're meant to climb it?" Michael asked, putting a foot on a rock which was sticking out, using it as a hold. Michael closed his eyes, and more rocks protruded out, and Michael climbed onwards. Adam started to follow him, but Damian waited, not yet extinguishing the flame and joining them.

"I'm not su-" Damian was cut off by a groan, as Michael's foothold began to get smaller, and he slipped, thumping the ground.

Damian quickly gave him a square of ambrosia, and he swallowed it down whole.

"You can't climb it. There's something preventing it."

Adam dropped down to the ground.

"So which way?" he asked.

"Look!" Damian said, pointing at the wall. There was writing engraved on the stone. He wasn't sure if it had always been there, or it had just appeared.

"_Forward lies death,_" he read, "_but going back may give you another chance._"

"What does that mean?" Adam asked. Suddenly there was a cold wind, freezing, bitter, and Damian's torch went out.

He whirled round. Suddenly there were two passages behind them, and no flames in either.

"We need to go back," Michael realized, "but which one is the way we came from?"

Damian's instinct pulled him towards the left path, but he ran his fingers through the ashes in the torches of the right- they were warm, as if they'd just been lit. The ones of the left were cold.

"So we go right?" Adam asked, making his way towards the right passage.

Damian's head throbbed. "No!" he cried. "I have a- no, not that way. It's trickery. Left is the right path."

Michael hesitated, but then shrugged. "Hey, you got Athena in you. Let's hope your instincts are right."

They went through the left tunnel, running now. All of them wanted to rescue Hazel and get out of here as quickly as possible.

Damian let go of the flame, the torch being useless now anyway. He trusted his instincts his memory. They had turned the wrong way in this maze before, but now they had to take the right path.

Adam held his sword, Theristis, up, the celestial bronze providing enough light to shine the way forward. Soon Michael started to frown in concentration.

"We're nearly there," he realised.

They burst out into a larger cavern. In the centre was a rocky table, and lying unconscious on it was Hazel. Unfortunately, a bunch of dracaenae blocked their way, keeping Hazel imprisoned.

"Demigod spawn," one of the dracaenae hissed viciously.

"Well…" Adam said. "This could be a problem."

The dracaenae charged. Adam and Michael slashed and parried, for them natural instincts. They were used to fighting, were good at it. Damian, however, was a thinker. Sure, he could lead them through a maze, but put him in a fight? He was next to useless.

He drew his short sword, almost like a Roman gladius. He swung at the nearest snake creature, trying to hold his own. Michael and Adam were forging their way forwards, but Damian was left behind, struggling, being overpowered to monsters. However many he disintegrated to dust, more just appeared in its place.

Adam jumped back, and with their combined effort they destroyed the last of the dracaenae remaining. Michael ran to Hazel, and poured some nectar into an already fading Hazel. Suddenly colour came back to her face, but quickly faded away as she disappeared into the background.

Hazel spluttered. Her eyes opened. "Michael?" She smiled.

Michael simply nodded back, grinning.

"I'm nearly gone," Hazel said. "Stay safe, all of you."

After Hazel had disappeared, Michael stood up.

"Time to go?" Damian asked.

Before anyone could respond, the dirt ceiling of the cavern crashed down on them. A fully sized manticore roared at them, the sound reverberating into Damian's bones.

There was no time for a delay. Together they charged. The manticore swiped a paw at Damian, but he just about managed to dodge. They continued their furious onslaught, and the manticore was surrounded. But it didn't go down without sinking its teeth in Michael first. He cried out in pain, before the manticore was dead.

Damian rushed over to him. The wound was bad. He applied nectar, but it wasn't enough.

"We need to get him to the ship," Damian told Adam.

"That way." Adam nodded upwards, already climbing on the stone table and through the hole in the ceiling towards light.

Damian and Michael followed, Michael needing assistance. What they saw wasn't good.

The Argo II was a couple of hundred metres away, past a molehill riddled field. But behind them, racing at top speed, were a pack on manticores. There was no way they'd get back to the ship before the manticores got them.

Michael thrust out his hands, yelling. The ground in front of the manticores collapsed, creating a temporarily impassable trench. Michael passed out with the exertion and from his wound.

Damian realised they needed to use this time before the manticores figured a way to get across. "Come on!" he yelled at Adam, and together they lifted Michael, hurrying towards the ship, a pack of manticores on their heels.

* * *

**Like I said, next chapter posted after some reviews, AND SOME SUBMISSIONS FOR REYNA COMPETITION- LAST CHANCE TO ENTER! So enter now, and you can read the next chapter soon! :)**


	12. Chapter 11

**New chapter! First off, a huge thank you to all who reviewed! It really meant a lot to me- that's why I write! Also, to answer NinjagoZaneLover's question, I didn't make Kratos (Kane's father) up. The ancient Greeks did believe in him, but he's not very well known. I have, however, changed his character slightly for the purposes of this story. **

**The Reyna Competition is over! Thanks to all who submitted! Some of the submissions were really good (and some were quite whacky, but interesting!). It was a hard choice, but I had to decide... And you will see which character won in this chapter!**

**Apologies that this is a slightly filler-y chapter, but it had to be done- it's important. I hope you enjoy it though. The next few chapters will have some significant plot developments!**

**Next chapter will be posted after at least 10 reviews, so review!**

* * *

Chapter 11

Emma

Emma had to try and keep calm. But seeing her older brother unconscious with a gaping wound, being half pulled along by Adam and Damian was kind of worrying.

She had been talking to Maia, the pair of them volunteering to stay on lookout. Kane was also there, and Maia continued to explain everyone's godly ancestors. Emma was helping her explain.

"Ok, I think I've got it," Kane said slowly. "So between you, you're related to Jupiter, Poseidon, Aphrodite, Athena, Mars, Pluto, Hephaestus, and one titan- Atlas. Right?"

Emma nodded. "You said your dad was a titan too? Cranios or something?"

"Kratos," Kane explained. "Titan of power, energy and strength. He keeps to himself, you probably haven't heard of him."

"When did you find out you were… well, you know, not mortal?" Maia asked.

Kane looked at her. "About a year ago. My mum had died a year before then. I was staying in a care home, when Kratos revealed himself to me one day. I couldn't believe it at first, but somehow I wasn't that surprised. I lived in Los Angeles, but I decided to journey to Camp Half-Blood. I thought it might be fun." Kane snorted. "I was wrong. I didn't realise I would attract so many monsters. I took the train to Minnesota, but when I got off, I decided I'd hitchhike to the train station in Iowa. It would've been quicker. I got overrun by monsters. They would've defeated me if it hadn't been for you guys."

"Wow," Maia said. Emma nodded.

"Yeah, that's rough."

Kane shrugged. "It's in the past. Hopefully Camp Half-Blood will be better."

"Oh, it's great," Maia said, smiling. "The cabins, the beach, the woods. And that's not even mentioning Camp Jupiter, and all the roman demigods."

"Camp Jupiter? Kratos mentioned something about roman demigods, but he didn't say anything about another camp."

"Camp Jupiter is the camp for Roman demigods," Maia explained.

"So how come you've been there?" he asked her.

"There's a gate that links them, like a portal," Emma told him. "It happened after the giant war."

"The war all your parents were in?" Kane asked. Emma nodded.

"Trust me," Maia promised. "I'm sure you'll love the camps."

Kane smiled at her.

Suddenly Emma saw movement in the corner of her eye. In the noon sun, she saw Damian and Adam struggling forward. A couple of hundred metres behind them was a chasm, with… were those lions?

She ran to the railing of the ship. Then she noticed Michael, lying limp, Damian and Adam almost dragging him along in a frantic frenzy, trying to reach the ship before the creatures. "Michael!" she cried.

Maia cursed. She quickly pulled a lever, and the gangway was lowered slowly. Damian and Adam hobbled forward, reaching the gangway. Kane rushed forward, and took Michael from them, taking him on board before putting him down on the deck. Maia hugged Adam and Damian, before kneeling over Michael.

Emma wanted to go to them, but she noticed the creatures had broken free from the pit. Emma knew they couldn't be allowed to reach the ship. She could hear noises below, but they needed to leave now.

She ran towards the tiller. Kane finished raising the gangway, as Emma took the Wii remotes, which controlled the ship in her hand, and pushed down on the throttle. She had no idea how to control the ship, but Ant wasn't here, and they had to get out of this place. The wind started going faster, and she could feel the ship vibrating, as one of the manticores pounced at the ship, deflecting off it's golden side. Emma pushed down faster, pushing the engine button. With the throttle accelerating, Emma thrust the Wii remotes upwards.

The Argo II burst forwards into the air, the jet propulsion driving them forward, and they sailed into the clouds, leaving the creatures behind them.

* * *

Emma sat down next to Michael's bed in the infirmary. Eva was there too, replenishing the nectar stock, having bandaged Michael's wound.

"You feeling better?" she asked him. He nodded.

"Yup, thanks to Eva. I heard you're pretty good yourself- you managed to drive the ship? Impressive."

She shrugged. "More like lucky. What's the next location on the map?"

Michael unfolded the map. "Rapid city, South Dakota." He grinned. "D'you wanna drive us there?"

Emma shook her head, glaring at her brother, as Eva smiled. "Who'd you think will be there?" she asked.

Michael shrugged, settling back into his pillow. "I don't know. We'll find out soon enough, hopefully."

* * *

They were descending down on Rapid City. Emma thought it was a funny name, but the city looked like any other urban one. Banks, offices, the rest, between it littered cosy suburban homes.

Emma had the map in her hand, directing Antonio. The ship was descending low enough for mortals to see them, but luckily the mist prevented them from seeing what it really was. They were over a green park now.

"Here," Emma said suddenly. "We're there."

"Here?" Antonio said. "But it's just a park," he mused, as lowered the gangway.

The others gathered around. Michael was in a sling, and he moved slowly, but he would back in normal condition soon. The questers walked down the gangway, with the exception of Kane and Adam, who stayed to guard the ship.

There seemed to be nothing that could be significant to them in the park. Emma was perplexed as to why the map had brought them here. Suddenly Reid spoke out.

"Look!"

There was a small girl running towards them. Emma saw she looked around eight years old, with dark brown hair tied back into a plait, and baby blue eyes.

"Alicia!" Amy cried.

Alicia ran forward to them. Maia rushed forward and picked the girl up. Her cheeks were tear stained, her eyes red.

"Alicia, are you okay?" Maia asked, concern apparent in her voice.

Alicia was the small daughter of Reyna and Malcolm, son of Athena, the two having married some time after the giant war. The girl was usually very cheerful, and was very close with Hector, the youngest Grace child who had stayed back at Camp Half-Blood.

Alicia nodded.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were meant to be with your parents visiting your dad's family?" Eva asked, dabbing Alicia's face with a handkerchief.

Alicia sniffled. "We were, but then mum and dad wanted to go to the museum here. But then, a couple of hours ago, there was green light, and they were gone."

"Reyna and Malcolm have been taken," Lily realised.

"We have to save them!" Alicia cried. "I want my parents back."

"Don't worry, Alicia, we'll save them," Emma told her. "I want to go rescue Reyna and Malcolm."

"Same here," Amy said.

"I need to go!" Alicia cried.

"No," Michael said firmly. "It's too dangerous for you. We need to get you back to Camp Half-Blood as soon as possible."

Alicia shook her head with her mother's stubbornness. "You need me. Without me you don't know where mum and dad are."

They all exchanged looks.

"Fine…" Amy said reluctantly. "But on one condition."

"What?" Alicia asked.

"You do exactly as Amy and Emma say," Eva said seriously, "you don't enter a fight, and, most importantly, you stay safe."

Alicia nodded. "I promise."

* * *

A few blocks away, in the darkness of the underground room, the floor shook. The guard looked on as the pottery shook, his fellow creature forming.

_Good,_ he thought, _we have formed. Now all we do is wait, for the legacies to walk right into the trap._

* * *

**Hmm, what d'you think that means! Looks like the legacies could be in trouble!**

**And, yes, Reyna's husband is Malcolm- so congratulations to DemigodVenaurora, who submitted that character, for winning! Please PM so we can discuss how you want your prize to be written!**

**I thought Malcolm was such a good fit (ignoring any possible age difference- Riordan never makes Malcolm's age clear) because he's smart, but he's got that Athena fight. Someone who wanted to be with Reyna had to have some of that grit- as some of you picked up upon! Thanks to all who submitted and reviewed!**

**Next chapter posted after at least 10 reviews, so review :)**


	13. Chapter 12

**I know, I know. There hasn't been an update for a while. But, I was really busy, and while this chapter was written a while ago, it can be difficult to find the time to post it. **

**And, of course, I was waiting on reviews. But we managed to reach the target! Yay!**

**You've done it already, you can do it again. 10 reviews for the next chapter... review, and we can reach it quicker, which means a quicker update! So review, and enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 12

Amy

Rapid city was much slower than it's name suggested. Despite the odd name (like seriously, who called a place _Rapid_ city. Not only was it a weird name, it wasn't even true. It would be like calling Camp Half Blood '_Camp Nothing-ever-happens-here-completely-normal Blood!')_, the place was just a nice, slightly crowded, pizza smelling, average city.

Amy held Alicia's hand tightly as they walked through the streets.

"How much longer?" she asked the small girl.

"I think about five minutes," Alicia responded, thinking through her answer.

Amy knew the girl well, considering she was at their house half the time playing with Hector. The two were inseparable.

Emma smiled, but she looked anxious.

"What's up?" Amy asked her.

Emma looked sideways at her. Alicia continued to walk forward, swinging Amy's arm. "It's just… what happens when we have to take Alicia back to Camp Half-Blood? What if the other parents we have to rescue get hurt in the mean-time?"

"We'll figure out a way," Amy reassured her, but in truth she was worried about that herself.

They continued to walk in the hazy sun, when they turned opposite a green park, a pillared building facing it.

"There!" Alicia cried out. "That's where mama and papa were taken."

"The Museum of War and Peace," Amy read. "As in the book?"

Emma shrugged. "Let's find out."

* * *

Turned out, it was definitely not about the book. It was about conflicts that dated back centuries, and how they were resolved. Amy saw the current floor they were on was about an Egyptian war.

"This is the earliest recorded, proven, war," Alicia explained. "As you go to higher levels you progress in history." Sometimes Amy forgot how smart the small girl was- which wasn't too surprising, considering her heritage.

"Where were your parent's taken?" Emma asked.

"In the floor below, the basement. Wars of myths. We were looking at the Greek exhibit, when there was a green light. Mama and papa disappeared, and then I fell asleep. I woke up in the park where I saw you."

They went down to the basement. The Mythological War department was, frankly, just creepy.

It was a huge open cavern, with carved stonewalls. There were towering glass cabinets, adorned with huge signs explaining the artefacts. But Amy didn't have time to pay attention to that.

At the back of the cavern, an eerie, open spaced cave, were Reyna and Malcolm. They were both unconscious, and tied to the wall. Reyna's dark hair was falling over Malcolm's shoulder, both looking undisturbed.

That wasn't the problem. The problem was what was in front of them.

Two dog-headed sentinels, muscular humans from head down, both with tall, jagged spears, blocked their way. They were larger than any normal human, and they seemed to be made of clay, but animated with life- grey webbing spread underneath their human skin. Their heads were that of a hellhound, eyes glowing red.

"Well," Emma observed, her voice echoing across the cavern, "this is a pleasant surprise."

The two dog men charged.

"Alicia, go around and free your parents!" Amy yelled. "Emma and I will distract them."

Alicia nodded and ran towards her parents without arguing.

One of the dog-headed men went straight to her, swinging his spear. Amy lifted her sword, blocking the blow, but was sent spinning backwards, the strength behind the strike knocking her off balance.

She immediately responded, charging her sword with electricity and launching herself at the dog man. The thing growled.

Meanwhile Emma had transformed into a tigress, and leapt at the other one, grappling with it in combat. The statue was too large though, bigger than even the tiger, and pushed it off. Emma scrambled back to her feet, snarling.

Amy continued to throw mini-shocks at the dog man, continuously charging her sword. Cracks began to weave themselves in the skin of the warrior, more and more clay reaching the surface of the skin.

Amy feinted towards the warrior's left, but he sensed it. He swung his spear, knocking her off balance, and plunging the tip into her side.

Amy's side erupted in agony, but she braced herself against the pain. Before she could do anything stupid, like collapse on the floor, she stabbed her sword downwards, onto one of the cracks, with all her might, her chest screaming in pain.

The dog man exploded into shower of pottery.

Amy wanted to relax, but Emma was being overcome. Amy could see that Alicia had nearly freed both her parents, and she hobbled towards Emma, who was now back into human.

Amy, too pained to summon electricity, waved her sword at the remaining dog man. He scowled, and turned to face her. Amy whacked the spear in his hand, and while he was distracted, Emma turned into a huge she-bear. She swiped her paw, and the second dog-man crumbled into dust.

Reyna and Malcolm were both awake now, and had been hugging their daughter when they heard the last dog man disintegrating.

Reyna's eyes widened at the sight of Amy's bleeding. "Malcolm, get the nectar!" The woman ran towards her.

Amy's sight dimmed, but then cleared again when some sweet liquid was poured into her mouth.

"She should be alright," Malcolm judged. "But you need to get her back to the ship."

Reyna gripped his hand, stroking her daughter's hair. "Malcolm and I are fading. Leave, now!" And the two disappeared.

* * *

Amy was sitting on the grass of the park opposite the museum. "I'll go get the others, to come with the ship," Emma told her. "It'll take about 10 minutes. Stay here with Alicia, ok?"

Amy nodded. Emma turned into an eagle and flew away.

Amy shifted in the grass, Alicia next to her. Emma had only been gone a minute, but there was something wrong. Amy sensed something was about to happen, the same way she could sense the electricity in the air before a storm.

Amy stood up, wincing. Alicia moved next to her. "What's wrong?" the girl asked.

Amy could feel a heavy padding on the ground, a low growl. "Alicia, get behind me," she urged. Alicia was about to ask why, when there was a roar from behind them.

There, in the park, were a pack of manticores, about twenty of them. The ones they had seen when rescuing Jason, and Michael and the others had encountered after rescuing Hazel. They had been following the group!

Amy knew there was no way she could fight her way out of this. She was wounded, in no shape to fight, and no energy to produce a storm. They would be dead before Emma came back with the rest of the crew.

"Alicia, run," she said urgently, but it was too late. The manticore at the front leaned down on his haunches. His human face was cruel, his mouth twisted into a snout of a dragon. His golden body was powerful, and to cap it off, his poisonous scorpion tail was swinging in the air, ready to swing.

The manticore, the rest of his pack behind him, pounced at them, claws outstretched.

But before they could reach Amy, a silver arrow zipped through the air, hitting its skull.

And then all Tartarus broke loose.

* * *

**Well... what could be happening here?**

**10 reviews and then I'll post the next chapter... make it a quick update, so get reviewing!**


	14. Chapter 13

**Thanks for all the reviews guys! Recently I haven't been posting as frequently, but now I have a bit more time, and I thought you guys deserve the next chapter! So to all of those who reviewed, a big thanks, and I hope you like this chapter!**

**This chapter doesn't have much action, so I apologise, but it's necessary for the rest of the chapters, which will contain more plot twists, threads and action, so prepare yourself! **

**Other than that, _please read the author's note below_! Review- more reviews, as always, means a quicker update. **

* * *

Chapter 13

Amy

The Manticore in front of Amy crumbled to dust. The others in the pack howled, and charged forward, but were shot down. Several people, dressed in sleek, black leather clothing charged forward, taking down the pack, stabbing and shooting.

The manticores tried to resist, but they were too outnumbered. Soon all of them had been disintegrated.

Alicia stood behind Amy, looking on, awestruck. The girl in the lead turned to face them. In her dark, spiky hair laid a silver circlet, and her electric blue eyes creased into a smile. "Hey, Amy."

"Aunt Thalia?" Amy rushed forward to hug the girl, who despite appearing/being only a year older than her, was actually her dad's older sister.

Yep, immortality was weird.

Thalia laughed and accepted her embrace.

"What are you doing here?" Amy asked, as Alicia rushed over to them.

Before Thalia could answer, the sky darkened above them. The Argo II swooped over them, ballistae blazing.

Talk about a dramatic entrance.

Thalia smirked. "Why don't we go on board and tell the others that they're a bit late? I'll tell you everything then."

"I had taken my hunters on a hunting mission, up in Alaska, tracking some manticores, about a week ago. There, I was taken, transported, by some weird green mist. When I woke up, I was on some sort of mountain."

"Similar things happened to the other heroes of Olympus," Damian explained. "How did you escape?"

"I'm sure you guys would have done a great job rescuing me, but my hunters got there first. I figured there was something going wrong. We started to make our way back to Camp Half-Blood, but our wolves caught the scent of those same manticores when we reached here. Those creatures move devilishly quickly."

Amy was sitting down by the tiller. She had refused to be taken down to the infirmary, instead wanting to listen to what was going on. Eva had offered to wrap her wound here instead, provided she sat down and stayed still. Call it a compromise.

Michael nodded. "Emma came back here, and we caught some signs of the manticores. We went after Amy and Alicia as soon as possible, but by the time we reached, you had already dealt with it." He smiled. "Thanks."

Thalia smiled.

Thalia had come on board, but the other hunters had decided to stay below, in case anything else decided to show up. The mist was disguising the ship from the mortals below.

One of the hunters climbed up the ladder. A girl, about fourteen years old, smiled at them all. She had long, brown hair, which was tied into a plait.

"Thalia," she addressed the lieutenant of the hunt, "there doesn't seem to be any sign of monsters, but we'll make camp down there till whenever we will leave- which incidentally should be at nightfall. Leaving in the cover of darkness will be safest right now."

It was evening now, and probably another couple of hours till the light faded.

"Thanks, Anna-Marie. We'll leave then." Before the hunter could leave, Alicia ran up to the girl. She touched a flower, which rested in the girl's hair.

"That's pretty," she said.

Anna-Marie smiled. Thalia looked at them knowingly. "Anna-Marie's a daughter of Demeter. Here, why don't you show her?"  
Anna-Marie opened her palm. In it was a pile of fresh soil from the park. Anna-Marie closed her eyes, and a purple flower bloomed upwards. Alicia smiled in delight, as Anna-Marie tucked the flower into Alicia's plait.

"I think she likes you," Amy commented. Anna-Marie blushed.

"Where are you going to go now?" Maia asked Thalia.

"Same as we were before," Thalia smiled at her, "Camp Half-Blood."

"You can take Alicia!" Lily realised. "She needs to go there too, and it would save a lot of time."

Michael nodded. "That would make a lot of sense."

Thalia considered. "Sure, we could do that. We leave in two hours."

"What about Kane?" Ant asked. "He was making his way to Camp Half-Blood."

Everyone looked at Kane, who shook his head. "I want to stay, and help you guys."

Eva spoke up for him. "He could help, and we've got the room."

Michael nodded. "Ok then. So only, Alicia will go with the hunters."

Kane looked pleasantly surprised, as he grinned.

Thalia hugged them all, as she got ready to depart with her hunters. Night had fallen.

"So where are you off to next, then?"

Michael scanned the map. "Houston, Texas."

"Dad!" Eva said.

Thalia nodded. "It'll most likely be Leo. Good luck saving him then. All of you stay safe."

Anna-Marie held Alicia's hand, as the moonlight shone down on them, and using some magic from Artemis, all the hunters disappeared.

"Houston," Ant perused. "That'll take a whole day of sailing tomorrow before we reach there." He explained when everyone looked at him. "I'm repairing the sails, so we'll have to travel by water for a bit. Luckily, there's a river, which leads us into the next few states, and hopefully by then it'll be fixed again."

"Well, if it's going to take that long then, we better get sailing," Adam said.

Kane nodded in agreement. "Sounds good. Just one last question. Can anyone explain to me what exactly is a hunter? Like yeah, I get it, warriors of Artemis, but how does it work?"

Maia rolled her eyes, smiling. Amy suppressed a giggle. She knew the newcomer was just trying to lighten the mood, but she appreciated it.

Eva helped Amy walk down the stairs to the infirmary for some rest, the others behind them, Kane still going on- "so what, Artemis just makes them eternally young, just like that? No questions asked?"- as the Argo II sailed down the river.

* * *

_**Ok, so I have a lot of things to talk about here, so please read!**_

**First off, enjoyed the chapter? Kudos to anyone who recognised the character of Anna-Marie from the last chapter of my other story, _The War of Gaia_. She won't be too important, but I couldn't resist including her! Also, the next chapter is in the POV of someone different and unexpected... any guesses? It's a very different chapter, and I look forward to posting it! **

**Now, to the other topic. As many of you know, I am planning my next story, and am looking to post it soon-ish. Please note, that does not mean I am giving up on this story! Far from it, I will continue to update this story, and it will be my main focus till it finishes, which is why my other story, _A New Beginning_, is updated far less frequently. **

**So anyway, I've has a few ideas, and I think they all have potential, so I thought I'd check the ideas out with you and see what you think, and perhaps which one I should post, so here they are. Remember, they're just rough ideas, with provisional titles- I haven't properly drafted out the ideas.**

**1) A Percy Jackson/Harry Potter crossover. It would be along the veins of the seven go to hogwarts, starting at the time of the order of the phoenix. I've had this idea for a long time, and I think it could be interesting. **

**2) A Highschool fic. It could be an AU, so no demigods, or it might be from the canon universe, so post BoO. I haven't really worked out any of the details, but rest assured it will be a complete Percabeth story, with other pairings, and will be original! If you 'vote' for this one, please give me an idea of what you would want from it eg. a mortal AU**

**3) A post BoO fic, featuring a lot of action. Basically tying up threads from BoO, in the form of a quest with all the heroes of olympus dealing with an after-affect of Gaia rising. This one would be shorter, eleven chapters, but would contain a lot of characters dealing with a resurgent threat from the Giant War. **

**So there you have it, the ideas. Tell me what you think of them, and I'll probably give you some more details next chapter, maybe even some extracts. Please review (it means you're more likely to get a quicker update!) on who's POV you think next chapter will be, and what story idea you like. **

**Sorry for the long author's note!**


	15. Chapter 14

**Yay, a quick update!**

**Thanks for all your responses, I really appreciate it!**

**This chapter is different from the rest so far, but I hope you enjoy it. For those who don't remember, Mark is the adopted son of Rachel, he was a gift from Apollo.**

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Chapter 14

Mark

Mark ran towards the big house, Judith behind him. There had been another green flash.

Out of the corner of his eye, Mark saw Nico too, hurrying towards the big house. Mark was the first to reach, and he entered. He swiftly made his way through the corridors; he now knew the way instinctively.

Carefully he pushed open the door, Judith and Nico behind him. Inside the empty room were… two people? That was a first.

"Reyna? Malcolm?" Nico rushed forward, crouching next to the two. "Are you okay?"

Reyna nodded as they re-oriented themselves. "We're fine." Nico lead them out of the room.

"It's common to feel a bit dizzy and sick. We should take you to the infirmary, just to be sure."

As they walked out, Mark and Judith exchanged looks.

"Are the others okay?" he asked the adults.

Reyna and Malcolm exchanged worried looks, but stayed silent for a second. "They'll be fine. Amy was… slightly hurt when we left, but she'll recover soon."

They encountered Chiron. "Ah Malcolm, Reyna. I'm glad to see you're okay."

Malcolm nodded. Nico continued to escort them to the infirmary, but Judith and Mark parted ways with them when they left. They walked towards the Titan cabin.

Despite being the adopted son of the oracle, Mark Dare had been a gift from the gods. His lineage was descended from titans, and so he stayed in the titan cabin. Judith was a legacy of Hyperion, her mother being one of the sky nymphs that had been sired by the titan. She had short blonde hair, and was a year older than the thirteen-year-old Mark.

Alex, being the only other inhabitant of the Titan cabin, apart from Eva and occasionally Lina, was away. The fifteen year old was a descendant from Atlas as well, but from a completely different lineage than Calypso, and far more distant. His only powers included a gifted talent with the sword.

As they entered the cabin, Mark could hear the sounds of sword clashing sword, and of the working forge in the distance, working overtime to compensate for the lack of Ant.

During the past week, the captured heroes were appearing in the Big house, marked by a flash of green light. First it had been Nico, then Jason, Calypso, Hazel and now, Reyna and Malcolm.

The camp, and Camp Jupiter, was working overtime to deal with the threats from outside. The quest may have been going on elsewhere, but this was a whole lot bigger than that.

* * *

_Mark was on the Argo II, hovering in the engine room. Ant was tinkering with some sort of mechanism, which was badly damaged. _

_ "Come on," he was muttering. "Stupid sail. Come on, Festus." _

_ A person walked in, someone Mark didn't recognize. He had dark hair and blue eyes, and was tall and muscular. _

_ "Need any help?" the boy asked. "You've been taking a long time." _

_ Ant immediately jumped to his feet, covering the damaged engine from the boy's view. "No, no. Everything's fine. Just running some routine tests. We should be back in the air soon." _

_ The scene shifted, and Mark was faraway, underground in some cavern. A scratchy voice emanated across it. "The trap is being made my lord. Soon they shall be ours. And the camps are being dealt with. Everything is being put into position."_

_ "Good," a deep voice hissed, "I grow impatient. Their incompetence hinders me. But soon, they shall play into our hands, and shall meet my needs perfectly." _

Mark was shaken awake. Alex stood over him.

"Mark, come look!" he said excitedly, before running out. Dazed, Mark followed him. It was morning now, the sun high in the sky.

A congregation had gathered, surrounding something Mark couldn't see. Judith was in the crowd. She beckoned him over.

Mark ran over and saw what everyone was looking at. Mist cleared, and in the centre were the hunters, Thalia Grace at the lead. Jason, who was in the crowd, ran forward and hugged his sister, who appeared to be less than half his age.

"Thals, what are you doing here?" he asked, as his youngest son, Hector, ran forward to them. He spotted a girl and went up to her.

"Alicia!" he cried.

What was Alicia doing with the hunters?

"I was taken, but my hunters rescued me," Thalia explained. "We were making our way to Camp Half-Blood, when we met the children on their quest. We picked up Alicia on the way."

Suddenly, Reyna ran forward, having made her way from the big house.

"Alicia!" Reyna picked her up and kissed the girl on the forehead. She smiled at Thalia. "Thanks for keeping her safe."

Thalia grinned at the ex-praetor. "My pleasure. Sweet girl you got there."

One of the hunters, a brunette with a flower in her hair, flushed, and nodded in agreement.

Chiron cantered over. He struck the ground with his hooves. "This is all very nice, but perhaps such matters are better discussed inside. In the Big House, please."

As the crowd dispersed, Mark exchanged a look with Judith.

"You've got to get in there," Judith told him. "Who knows what they could say?"

Mark nodded. He crept towards the Big House, and slipped inside the rec room.

Chiron was at the head of the table. Jason, Thalia, Malcolm and Reyna were all inside, as well as the rest of the rescued heroes- Calypso, Hazel and Nico. Mark's mother, Rachel, was there too. Mark slipped in the place next to her. Chiron saw him, but didn't say anything.

Thalia was explaining what had happened in Rapid City.

"So it seems like they're doing well on their quest then?" Chiron said. Thalia nodded.

"Why don't we go help them?" Hazel stressed. "We should join in on rescuing the others."

Rachel shook her head. "I know it's tempting, but it would be the worst thing you could do. I've had visions… trust me, it would have unfathomable consequences. It's meant to be just them."

"Plus, we need you here," Chiron said gravely.

"Have the attacks got worse?" asked Calypso.

Chiron nodded. "Almost all patrols come back with injuries. Monster attacks have got more and more frequent, and I know Camp Jupiter have experienced similar problems."

"It's linked," Nico muttered. "The quest, and the attacks. It doesn't bode well."

Chiron frowned. "You're sure none of you remember what happened to you? Or who could be behind this?"

Everyone shook their head.

"I remember a voice," Calypso volunteered. "When I woke up… I felt like I had to tell them something. Don't trust the star's gift. I don't even know what it means."

Jason frowned. "Let's hope we find out. But Chiron's right. Things are getting bad. The stirring monsters… it's like what happened in the titan war, and the giant one. Something big is happening. Let's just hope we're ready to face it."

* * *

**So, you got to find out what's happening back at camp! And it's not great... seems like things are getting pretty serious, huh? **

**Next chapter, as always, will be posted quicker if there are more reviews. **

**And thanks for all your responses to which idea I should do next. I'm gonna be keeping that open for a bit longer, so if you do say your choice, please say what you would want from that story. It seems currently idea 1 is in the lead... but that could change, I guess. As promised some more info: (please note that all titles and summaries/plot are rough, and not final)**

**1) Colliding Worlds (Provisional title/summary/plot): Voldemort has returned, and Harry's task seem's more difficult than ever. At Camp Half-Blood, the seven are issued a new quest- go to Hogwarts, and help in the war. Can the demigods shift the tide, and help Harry, Ron and Hermione stop Voldemort? Or will they be too busy trying to fit in at Hogwarts? (This story will not be a typical 'harry hates the demigods', it will probably be the first in a trilogy, and I have got a plot planned out- _but I really do not like this summary_)**

**2) Highschool. Like I said, since this one is still a relatively new idea, and I'm still working out details, I can't give you a summary. I'm still debating whether it would be an AU or not, but it would be Percabeth, it would be interesting, and I have a feeling this story could be pretty good :)**

**3) The Quest After (Provisional title/summary): The War with Gaia is over, but the threat is not over yet. The Heroes of Olympus, all of them, must come together and deal with a resurgent threat from the war, something which none of them saw coming. The battle isn't over yet, and with everyone still trying to figure out what's going on, there is everything to play for... **

**So that's it! Please keep in mind, if you want a story which isn't in the lead, or I might not post immediately, the likelihood is I will still get to it, just not as quickly. I think all ideas have potential, so yeah. **

**Please review for a quick update, and tell me what you think!**


	16. Chapter 15

**Not sure how I feel about this chapter :/ **

**To the reviewer concerned about how I'd portray Houston, I've never been there, so everything is pretty much left to my imagination... but actual Houston isn't really featured much- you'll see what I mean when you read the chapter!**

**Please, keep on reviewing!**

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Chapter 15

Adelina

Adelina hardly remembered Houston. Leo had taken her, Ant and Eva when they were younger, but she only had vague memories. She wasn't even sure if they were real.

They walked through the deserted roads, warmth engulfing them, the midday sun covering them, the map in Lina's hand.

"How much further?" Ant asked.

The two of them had been chosen to go on the mission to rescue Leo. They had been pretty certain that Adelina's fire powers would come in use, and Ant had been adamant he wanted to go.

"We're there."

In front of them, in the woods, was a huge wall of stone, covering the cliff face. It had words engraved on it, but Adelina couldn't read it. It was in some foreign language.

"What on earth?" Lina muttered. "How does this help us find Leo?"

Ant frowned. "It reminds me of Bunker Nine." He was right. The whole scene was eerily similar to the bunker back at camp. "Maybe you could open it…?"

Lina didn't respond, but simply raised her hand. She knew what she had to do.

For a second, nothing happened. Lina's powers were relatively recent. Sure, she had always had outbursts, and been immune to fire, but it had never been completely controlled. Before he had been taken, Lina's dad had been helping her control it. Now he was gone, and Lina was finding it more difficult than ever to use her powers.

Closing her eyes, she felt a wave of desperation pass through her. A small beam of fire, not even enough to heat Lina up, was directed at the stone. It soon died down after a second, Lina not being able to sustain it. Amazingly, it was enough.

The heat passed through the stone, and it started to glow red. With a grinding sound, it shifted sideways, revealing darkness behind it.

Ant looked up determinedly. "Let's go in."

As they started to walk through the darkness, Lina shivered involuntarily. Something about this place… didn't feel quite right.

Suddenly, torches along the side of what she could now see to be a cavern began to light up, flames bursting to life, illuminating the cavern.

Adelina almost jumped.

"Did you do that?" Ant asked.

Adelina shook her head. "No, I didn't."

They exchanged looks. "We should keep moving," Ant said.

Their footsteps echoed across the cavern, which was seemingly empty. They walked for what felt like forever, when they saw it. A glowing light at the end of the cavern. They ran towards it, and Lina realised it was a swirling ball of fire, big enough that a person, several of them, could fit inside. It was a raging firestorm contained inside one floating, massive sphere.

"I have to go in," Lina realised. "Dad must be in there."

Before Ant could reply, there was a creaking sound from above. Suddenly, there was a gust of air, and two bronze beasts came driving down towards them.

They were metallic dragons, like Festus, but smaller, with darker, glinting eyes. Their bronze coat glinted in the light of the fire.

"The sun dragons of Helios!" Ant yelped.

Lina remembered her father telling her about these. The witch, Medea, had used them against Leo and Jason.

This complicated things.

One of the dragons sent a wave of fire after them. Lina was too shocked to move, but luckily she was immune to fire.

Ant, however, had to roll away. Being a Valdez, he did have immunity to fire to a certain extent, certainly more than the average person, but fire could still be harmful to him.

Lina sent a thin, weak bolt back towards to the dragon. It hit his jewel eye, and the dragon screeched, and crashed downwards. The other dragon held back, uncertain.

Using the advantage, Ant smashed his hammer at the second dragon's head. He leapt upwards, and managed to pull on a loose wire. Electricity sparked outwards. The dragon creaked, and darted away, but it's head kept shaking in spasms.

"Lina!" Ant cried out. "Go free dad!"

"NO! I need to stay and help you!"

Ant shook his head. "I'll distract the dragons, but we have to get out of here, and we can't leave without dad. Go!"

Lina hesitated, but what Ant was saying made sense. It was their best opportunity.

Without further delay, Lina dived into the ball of fire.

* * *

At first, everything was a lot slower, as if time was stopping. All around Lina were the roaring flames, tickling Lina with faint warmth, not harming her.

The sphere seemed even bigger from the outside. She saw Leo in the distance, unconscious, tied up in white chains.

Lina should've realised something was wrong sooner, but too late, she tried to move.

Chains, identical to those around Leo, wrapped around her, seemingly of their own accord. She struggled against them, but they only tightened.

She knew what she would have to do. She had to harness her ability with fire. Her, Ant and Leo's lives were at stake.

She felt the warmth spread inside her. She imagined the fire moving because of her, her controlling it. She was a fire user. She controlled fire, not the other way around.

In the last second she saw it. The fiery beast, the one who had made this fiery sphere. It was here, working with the sun dragons, some fiery spirit serving the same master who was behind all of this. She didn't know exactly what it was, but she knew she had to beat it.

With a small scream, fire, so hot it was white, exploded from her, like a wave. The chains shattered.

The fire met the beast, and Lina felt the resistance. Lina felt a tugging in her gut, as she retaliated, forcing her strength over the beast. She felt pain in her stomach, but she ignored it, and continued to fight back.

Soon the pain was becoming agony, but Lina had nearly overcome the beast. She clenched her fist, and finally the beast dissolved in a wave of fire, which spread outwards, breaking Leo's chains.

For a second, there was silence. Then the fire disintegrated into the air, and Lina was lying on the cold floor of the cavern.

She saw Leo a couple of metres away from her, stirring, but she scrambled to her feet. She had to help Ant.

Ant was still grappling with the beasts, trying to break their wiring, while constantly having to dodge the flames.

One of the dragons twisted towards her, ready to shoot fire. Lina saw the paper map had fallen out of her pocket onto the floor next to her. Her eyes widened as she realised what could happen.

Without hesitation, even as the dragon started to breathe fire, she picked up the map and threw it into the air, keeping it away from burning in the fire.

"Ant! Catch!"

Ant turned, and was about to hold out his hand to catch the map, when suddenly the dragon turned its head ninety degrees, and blasted fire right onto the piece of paper.

It was incinerated within seconds.

"No!" Lina screamed. She shot a bolt at fire at one of the dragons. The dragon, angered, leapt at her, claws outstretched.

Suddenly a fiery hammer was chucked at the dragon from behind, and its head was smashed off.

Leo stood there, grinning, already fading. Emboldened, Ant leapt onto the dragons back, and smashed the electrical circuit. The dragon shook, before collapsing.

Leo smiled at them. "_Queridos_, you did great!" He only had to time to hug them, a big hug in which Lina felt safe in, before he was gone.

"The map… it's gone…" Lina said hollowly. "How are we going to find the others?"

Ant looked at her. "That's the bit we have to figure out."

* * *

**How the legacies going to work round this one, huh? You'll have to wait and see next chapter... **

**Without further ado, here are the story options for my next story. Idea 1 continues to remain in the lead, but we'll have to see how it goes. Oh, I finally have a summary for idea 2, but it's definitely open to change. If you have an idea for idea 2, just PM or review, i'm open to suggestions on that one. Oh, also, I might even give extracts next chapter!**

**1) Colliding Worlds (Provisional title/summary/plot): Voldemort has returned, and Harry's task seem's more difficult than ever. At Camp Half-Blood, the seven are issued a new quest- go to Hogwarts, and help in the war. Can the demigods shift the tide, and help Harry, Ron and Hermione stop Voldemort? Or will they be too busy trying to fit in at Hogwarts? (This story will not be a typical 'harry hates the demigods', it will probably be the first in a trilogy, and I have got a plot planned out- _but I don't really like this summary_)**

**2) All's Fair (Provisional title/summary/plot): Annabeth Chase has just transferred to Goode High, but honestly, it's not been too bad so far. The people are nice too, except for one- Percy Jackson, the person who Annabeth intensely dislikes. But what really is the deal with that guy? Because what Annabeth and her friends don't know, is that Goode High is full of mysteries and secrets- and as Annabeth is about to find out, all's fair in love and war. Percabeth, Mortal AU. (this plot is completely open to change, right now this is how i'm thinking I would spin a high-school story. It's open to change, but I think it could be interesting!)**

**3) The Quest After (Provisional title/summary): The War with Gaia is over, but the threat is not over yet. The Heroes of Olympus, all of them, must come together and deal with a resurgent threat from the war, something which none of them saw coming. The battle isn't over yet, and with everyone still trying to figure out what's going on, there is everything to play for...**

**That's it, tell me what you think! Next chapter will probably have some extracts from each story!**

**As always, review for a quicker update!**


	17. Chapter 16

**Okay, I'm quite disappointed with the lack of reviews that is going on. I take my time out to write these chapters, and the only thing I get in return is reviews, by you. They're my motivation, and if I don't get them, I don't feel like writing. I feel like I'm running out of writing steam on this story, so please, please, review! Otherwise the updates will just slow down to a halt, I really don't have any other motivation. I feel like if I'm taking the time to write this, then if you want to read it, you should take the time out to review. It doesn't take much. To those who did, review, thank you- this chapter is posted because of you.**

**Apologies for the short chapter. Things are starting to get serious, and heavy plot developments are coming... **

**Enjoy, and review.**

* * *

Chapter 16

Emma

"The map, it's gone!"

That was the first thing Lina had said when she and Ant had boarded the ship. Maia raised her hands.

"What do you mean it's gone?"

As Lina explained, Ant steered the ship into the air, but once the ship was high enough to be mistaken for a hot air balloon, he stopped it.

"So what do we now? Where do we go?" Adam asked.

"We're going to have to figure out a way to go," Michael responded.

"This is all my fault," Lina said miserably. "Because of me, we won't be able to find the rest of our parents."

"It's not your fault," Amy responded. "It's the dragon's fault. You can't blame yourself for what happened."

"I have an idea," Reid volunteered. Emma looked at him eagerly. "If we marked all the places we've been so far on a normal map, maybe we'll see if there's pattern, and figure out where we should be going."

"That's a good idea," Lily said, "and it's better than doing nothing."

Aria ran to get a map, and Michael started to mark the places they had been too, drawing lines to show their route.

Once he had finished, they all examined the route. For some reason, it felt vaguely familiar to Emma, but she couldn't discern any pattern from it.

"It seems completely random," Kane said finally.

Eva nodded. "There doesn't seem to be a pattern."

"Maybe if we leave it for a while, it'll come to us," Damian suggested.

Michael nodded in assent. "We should all leave, have dinner, and hopefully we'll be able to figure it out."

* * *

Emma sat in her room, her head in her hands. She was sure she recognized the shape on the map, but she just couldn't seem to place it.

She thought desperately. She had to remember, it was vital.

Then it hit her. The dream… she remembered drawing it, marking the lines in pencil in the middle of the night.

She stood up, and bolted to Michael's room upstairs. He wasn't in his room; he was on the deck with Eva.

Emma entered the room, and made her way to the chest of drawers. She opened the first drawer, and there it was.

The drawing she had given to Michael on the first day of the quest. She had drawn it during her sleep, something in her dream triggering it. It was just a series of dots, seemingly randomly placed across the page, with lines connecting them. Just like the map.

She remembered Michael saying he would keep it. _But I'm going to keep this. If you drew it in your sleep… it could be a message from the gods._

And it was. For whatever reason, this drawing was their answer to the problem.

* * *

"It's a perfect match," Eva breathed. She had placed the drawing on top of the map, and sure enough, the lines and dots corresponded. By using Emma's drawing, they could figure out where the next location was, locating it on the map.

Adam grinned at her. "How d'you figure that out?"

Emma shrugged. "I drew it ages ago, in my sleep, and I knew that the shape on the map looked familiar."

"So what's the next location?" Damian asked.

Eva frowned. "There are two, pretty close to each other. The route splits up, then joins again at the next location after that."

"So what, we send out to groups at the same time to rescue different people?" Reid asked.

"That's what it seems like, yeah. In fact, one of the dots seems, well, denser than the others, apart from one other… which was Malcolm and Reyna. There could be more than one person there," Eva responded.

"What are the locations? Maybe we can figure out who we'll be rescuing," Maia pointed out.

"Both are in Colorado. One's in Denver, and one's roundabout Pike National forest, the one with maybe two people or more."

"Denver could be anybody," Damian pointed out.

"I'll go for Denver," Eva said.

Both Michael and Lily agreed, volunteering.

"And the national forest?" Ant asked.

"I want to go," Reid said determinedly.

Emma also felt an urge to go. "Me too."

"I can go to," Kane volunteered. "I can help."

"Ok, then, it's settled," Maia said. "We've got two groups. Ant, how long till we get there?"

Ant checked the GPS. "A few hours maybe?"

Emma smiled. She was glad she wouldn't have to wait too long. She just wanted to get there.

She was ready to send some monsters to Tartarus.

* * *

**So, there is that solution. It's been set up since chapter 2 :)**

**Okay, as for the three next stories... extracts! Exciting stuff! I most likely will be posting all three, soon enough anyway, but the one with the votes will be posted first! (So right now it looks like the crossover will be the one to be the one posted in the coveted spot of one weeks time ;)**

**1) Colliding Worlds (Provisional title/summary/plot): Voldemort has returned, and Harry's task seem's more difficult than ever. At Camp Half-Blood, the seven are issued a new quest- go to Hogwarts, and help in the war. Can the demigods shift the tide, and help Harry, Ron and Hermione stop Voldemort? Or will they be too busy trying to fit in at Hogwarts? **

* * *

"No!" Zeus snarled. "That cannot be allowed to happen! If those two worlds mix… It is bad enough that the Greeks and the Romans are aware of each other's existence. We cannot allow letting the demigods meet…. The wizards."

* * *

**2) All's Fair (Provisional title/summary/plot): Annabeth Chase has just transferred to Goode High, but honestly, it's not been too bad so far. The people are nice too, except for one- Percy Jackson, the person who Annabeth intensely dislikes. But what really is the deal with that guy? Because what Annabeth and her friends don't know, is that Goode High is full of mysteries and secrets- and as Annabeth is about to find out, all's fair in love and war. Percabeth, Mortal AU.**

* * *

"The bracelet was one my friend gave me, years ago," Thalia continued. "I figured I'd wear it, you know, since she's coming here today!"

"Wait, what?" I asked.

"Yup, she messaged me last week. We used to go to school together, before she moved to San Francisco. Turns out her father's moving them back to New York, and she's coming here!"

Jason looked at her. "Wait, which friend is this?"

"Don't you remember? Her name's Annabeth Chase."

* * *

**3) The Quest After (Provisional title/summary): The War with Gaia is over, but the threat is not over yet. The Heroes of Olympus, all of them, must come together and deal with a resurgent threat from the war, something which none of them saw coming. The battle isn't over yet, and with everyone still trying to figure out what's going on, there is everything to play for...**

* * *

Leo followed Calypso out to the dining pavilion, to the terraced area just before it. A crowd had gathered, so Leo had to push his way through to see. He came to a stop behind Annabeth, who had a frown on her face.

In the centre of the terrace was a glowing blue ball of light, about the size of a basketball, hovering five feet off the ground.

* * *

**So, those are the extracts! I know they're pretty short, but they're just a taster. I have got the beginnings of all three stories written out, so if you do want more detail/extracts on one of the stories, PM me ;) **

**One of the stories will be posted soon, around about the same time as the next chapter, which could be tomorrow or next week. Depends on reviews!**

**Review before you go!**


	18. Chapter 17

**Yes, slightly later update than usual. But I did warn you. **

**To my reviewers, you guys are the best. Thank you so much for reviewing, you don't how happy they make me. **

**Not much to say other than please review. I'll try and get the next chapter up soon. **

**As for the whole which story is next debate... read the authors note at the bottom and see. **

* * *

Chapter 17

Reid

"This is Pike National forest? How are we ever going to find someone, maybe even two people, in here?" Emma asked, dismayed.

They had just been dropped off by the Argo II, who had then gone off to take Lily, Michael and Eva to Denver. The ship would then circulate in the middle of the two places, ready to help whoever needed picking up first.

Kane looked around. "Maybe there'll be some clues to where'll they be… we just have to figure it out."

Reid nodded his head. "We could do that," Reid conceded, "but why not just save some time?" Without hesitation, Reid lifted his panpipes to his lips, and started playing an energetic melody.

Kane looked confused, but Emma had a hopeful look on her face, knowing what panpipes, and how satyrs used them, could do.

Stones on the ground rattled, before coming together, forming a path of pebbles, leading in a clear direction through the bushy undergrowth.

"That's the way," Reid told his companions.

Kane whistled. "That was awesome. You can do stuff like that?" Reid nodded.

He remembered the first time he had used that particular magical melody. It had been by accident. He had been playing in the forest with Damian, since their parents were going to some unveiling of an Apollo statue on Olympus. They had got lost, but they weren't too worried, as they knew someone would find them eventually. But they had got bored, and quickly.

"Where is the way out of here?" Damian asked.

"You're the legacy of Athena, shouldn't you have known the way?" Reid teased. Damian flashed him a smug smile, and Reid instinctively knew what he was going to say.

"You're the son of the Lord of the Wild, can't you do some nature-y stuff like your dad does?" Damian leaned forward, an excited look in his eyes now. "No, but seriously, why don't you try it? You have the panpipes."

"But I don't know any melodies!" Reid protested, even though as he was saying it he knew it wasn't entirely true. As he saw his best friend lean back, disappointed, he knew what he was going to do. He had played the melody he heard his mother singing, her favourite one. And it had worked, something had happened.

The path would have lead them out, would've worked, if not for what happened next. They had been foolish, going into that trap…

Reid was shaken out of his memories as Emma pulled him along the stone path.

They were in a large open area. The grass was wild and long, and though from his vantage point on the top of a hill Reid could see it went on for miles, it was a maze of vines and plants.

"Maybe they're somewhere in there," Kane said. "It's where the stone path leads."

Reid nodded, as they moved down the hill into the wild undergrowth. "Yeah, but we're getting closer. Be ready."

Suddenly, Emma yelped. A vine snaked out, tying itself around her foot. The ground started shaking, and cracks appeared.

Grass grew higher, as a clear circle emerged, and in it, Frank.

"Dad! We have to rescue him!" But guarding Frank were two basilisks, hissing at the trio.

Reid had to steady himself, as the earthquake continued. Reid was sure this wasn't a coincidence. A vine swung itself, like a whip, at him, but he deflected it.

Kane drew his sword, and instantly started battling with one of the basilisks. He had to leap out of the way to avoid the poison. Emma transformed into an eagle, and swooped down to the second snake like creature, talons bared.

Reid quickly surrounded them, protecting them from the flying vines. The whole scene was chaotic, and Reid could barely think straight what with the rumbling earth, struggling to keep balance.

Kane disintegrated the basilisk he was fighting, but another one appeared from the undergrowth, and soon Kane was preoccupied once again.

Emma managed to destroy her basilisk, and ran to her father. She untied the ropes that were bounding him, before shaking him. Reid closed his eyes, channelling his energy through the ground, sensing outwards.

"He hasn't got a pulse!" Reid shouted to Emma in alarm.

"Dad!" Emma cried, before taking out the nectar stash, and dripping it into Frank's mouth. The large man stirred, coughing. Emma cried out in relief, as her father re-oriented himself. Reid could see he was already fading, being taken back to Camp Half-Blood.

Kane managed to slice the next basilisk to dust, but another one leapt out, this time at Emma. Emma, too distracted, focusing on her dad, giving him more nectar, didn't notice the creature leaping towards her, fangs outstretched.

Reid watched in panic, too far away and to slow to do anything in time. He saw helplessly as Kane leapt forward, in front of Emma, swinging his sword. The basilisk crumbled, but not before sinking its fangs into Kane's stomach.

"Kane!" Emma cried, realising what had happened.

Kane stumbled to the ground, blood seeping out of his wound. Emma quickly poured some nectar into his mouth, but there were only a few drops left. Emma looked to her father for help, but Frank had already been taken away.

Another gang of basilisks burst in. Reid and Emma were clearly outnumbered. They exchanged looks of desperation.

"We need to get Kane back to the ship," Reid said urgently.

"But there's another person to rescue!" Emma pointed at the stone path, and Reid could see she was telling the truth. The path led on, to someone else, someone who needed rescuing.

"We're outnumbered though. We can't leave Kane, and we need to destroy the basilisk," Reid said, as they slashed a basilisk, crumbling it into gravel. But more just filled its ranks.

Emma looked at him, decided. She whistled, a loud clear whistle that sounded even over the shaking and rumbling of the earth. For a second nothing happened, and then a horse appeared in view.

"Arion!" Emma cried in joy. The majestic horse whinnied, and Emma leapt on its back.

"Go," she cried, "I'll fend off the basilisks with Arion. Hurry!" And with that, the horse leapt into action. He was too fast for the basilisks, and Emma disintegrated them, using the horse's power against the snakes.

Reid wasted no time, and rushed down the stone path, leading him further down the colossal field. He whacked some vines away from him, before bursting into an open area, much like the one Frank was in.

In the middle of it was Grover. "Dad!" Reid cried.

Grover was conscious, but he was trapped by the vines, his panpipes nowhere to be seen. He was trapped by the wildness of the earth, powerless to do anything. He smiled weakly at Reid.

Reid surveyed the madness of the scene. He knew what he had to do. They couldn't hold off the wild forever.

He lifted his panpipes to his lips, and began to play. He moved while doing it, spreading the sound. He felt something course through him, something different, powerful, old.

He remembered his dad telling him of the story of the battle of the labyrinth. How the power of Pan hadn't died, but lived on, and passed to him. How his cry had made the enemy fled.

Reid felt that power now, and this time it was the same thing as always making these plants retreat. Panpipes, music of nature.

His song came to a close, and the chaos had finished. No more basilisks appeared, and the plants were no longer wild. Grover fell to the ground, free. Reid rushed over to him.

"Dad!"

Grover smiled at him. "That was quite some playing there." They hugged as Reid laughed, but soon Grover was gone.

"Reid, how did you do that?" Emma asked, awestruck, as Reid ran over to them, Arion by her side.

"I'm not entirely sure," Reid said truthfully. "But we've got bigger things to worry about." He knelt next to Kane, and examined the wound. He took in a breath. It was worse than he had imagined.

"Emma, he… he's dying." They exchanged shocked looks.

"We need to get him back to the ship, _now_."

* * *

**Whew. Hectic chapter much? We had Arion make an appearance to save the silly chinese canadian baby man, and Reid shows some awesomeness. And Kane looks like he's in trouble. Guess you'll have to wait and see what happens to him. Oh, and we rescued two of the most under-appreciated characters of the series. Frank is awesome, but never recognized. He's an awesome guy, why not? And Grover... part of the original trio, found the most important demigods, was crucial to the war... I will never got over his lack of presence in the Heroes of Olympus. **

**Ok... tomorrow, I will be posting a new story. It will be the story in the lead votes wise (though I'm pretty sure I will be posting all three stories soon enough). Right now that stands as... dun, dun... the Harry Potter/ Percy Jackson crossover! So unless there's a dramatic change in votes, that's what will be posted tomorrow. So all who want to read that, please check back tomorrow!**

**As a thank you to all who review, and those who read and enjoy this story, if you want to know more about this story, PM me, I might even give you extracts of what is to come (Hint: There is a major plot twist coming soon. Kudos if anyone guesses it). Or, you can ask about any three of my upcoming stories (Just refer to the A/N in the last chapter) and I'll give you info, I'll even be accepting ideas!**

**So there it is, check back tomorrow for a new story, wait for a new chapter, and please review! More reviews means quicker writing.**


	19. Chapter 18

**Whew! Updated this and A New Beginning today, as well as posting the third chapter of my new story Colliding Worlds yesterday! Yay!**

**Can I just say, a huge, huge thank you to geekyglamour413 and Kdzgirl1129. You guys always review, and quite frankly, you're awesome! :)**

**So to those who don't know, I posted the HP/PJ crossover, Colliding Worlds, please check it out!**

**Enjoy this chapter, and please review!**

* * *

Chapter 18

Maia

"Change of plan. Maia, you're going to have to go with us." Eva looked at her pleadingly.

Maia sighed inwardly. Truthfully, she had been hoping to get some rest, since she was feeling sick, as if something was wrong. Of course Eva, being her best friend, was the one she told.

Eva looked at her again. "Pwease, Mai-wai, pwetty pwease," she said, putting on a silly baby accent.

Maia scoffed. "Fine. But you are the worst best friend ever."

Eva grinned in triumph. "You know you love me. Now come on!" Eva took Maia's wrist and dragged her to where the boat was waiting.

"Fine, but I don't want to be third-wheeling with the lovebirds. You and Michael," she said in response to Eva's curious look.

Eva turned red and spluttered. "Uh… wha- I do not-"

"Yes you do," Lily smirked. "Legacy of Aphrodite can tell. But don't worry Maia, I'm here to keep you company." Maia grinned.

Eva narrowed her eyes. "Well, Maia, what about you and Kane?"

Now it was Maia's turn to be defensive. "What? You're crazy, Eva. Let's just get on the boat."

But, truthfully, she didn't know what her feelings were for Kane. The boy made her feel different, but it was a whole tangle of emotions. She didn't understand any of it, and she wished she could talk to Kane about it, but she didn't know how. She didn't even understand it herself.

She was shaken out of her thoughts as they clambered down to the boat where Michael was waiting.

They were in the middle of a vast lake. In the middle, was another boat, presumably with someone to rescue in it. However, like with Beaver's island when rescuing Calypso, the Argo II couldn't go any further. The only method of getting there was a boat on the lakeshore. The only problem? It had no oars. And unlike last time, Maia couldn't control the tides from the ship, it was too weak from the distance the Argo II needed to be- in the middle between this lake in Denver, and Pike National Forest, in case either location had an emergency. So Maia would have to join them in rescuing the person.

It had started off fairly peaceful. Maia was pushing the currents, and the boat glided through the water. Eventually they neared the other boat in the middle of the lake, but as they approached, the other boat drifted further away from them. Maia could see Piper was lying unconscious in the boat, gagged.

They followed the boat to the other shore, leaping out of the boat and rushing to Piper. Lily ungagged her, waking her up.

Michael looked around uneasily, expecting a monster to appear, but nothing happened. Piper coughed. There was something off, a light in her eyes. She looked at them, her gaze lingering on Maia.

"It happens soon." Her voice was strange, not how Piper usually sounded. "Be ready. If you do not move on, everyone's fate is doomed." With that, she collapsed again. Lily poured her some nectar, but she was already fading.

"Mom!" she yelled desperately, but Piper faded away. Eva put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay," she said gently. "It happened to my mom too, when we rescued her. She'll be fine."

Lily nodded shakily, and stood up. Suddenly, a harpy screeched down out of nowhere, and raked her claw, causing a gash on Lily's arm.

They jumped backwards. "Are you alright?" Maia asked Lily, who nodded in response.

"Back to the boat!" Michael yelled, as more and more harpies arrived, a whole flock. But these weren't nice harpies like Ella. They had black feathers, and vicious looks on their faces. Maia swiped at one with her dagger, and it fell. Lily used her charmspeak while whacking one of them away, and some flew away from them in confusion. But still there were too many.

Michael and Eva slashed at them, as Maia concentrated, pushing the currents faster. The boat started to speed up.

"Faster, Maia, faster!" Eva said urgently.

They weren't too far away from the ship now, which was now in sight, having returned to them. A harpy clawed Maia's wrist, drawing blood.

So close, but the harpies were upon them, the whole flock. They wouldn't make it, unless…

Maia closed her eyes, and a wave came up behind them, wetting the harpies, slowing them down. The wave crashed down, and as the harpies came tumbling towards them, Michael, Eva and Lily tore them to shreds. The momentum pushed the boat forward, banging against the gold side of the boat. They stumbled, and Eva fell backwards, almost going into the water, but Michael caught her.

"Thanks," Eva blushed, as she looked at Michael, who was still holding her. They stayed like that for a second.

"Easy there, lovebirds," Lily smirked, as she and Maia started to climb the rope ladder on board. However, the laughter on Maia's face was soon wiped off as she saw the scene on board.

"He needs help," Aria said urgently. The crew was gathered round someone, lying on the floor. Maia moved forwards, and when she saw what it was, her heart dropped.

Lying on the floor was Kane's dead body.

* * *

Maia stared into the night sky, feeling the fresh air on her face. Her heart was still racing, as she sat on the ledge. The top deck was strangely calming.

She looked back at the person with her. "Don't try to get up yet," she commanded him.

Kane grinned, his blue eyes creasing. Maia nearly gave a double take. _Stop it_, she scolded herself.

Kane scratched the back of his neck. "Thanks for healing me," he offered.

Maia smiled as she rewrapped his bandage on his abdomen, Kane riding his t-shirt up. "It's fine. I thought you were dead," she admitted, "but some ambrosia helped you. You'll be fine, soon enough, anyway."

They were alone on the top deck, keeping watch, and enjoying the fresh air. "So, just your parents left to rescue now," he commented. Maia nodded. Kane looked at her, as if sensing her emotions. He put a hand on Maia's arm. "They'll be fine," he said gently. "We'll rescue them."

"I know." Maia smiled. "You seemed to have accustomed to the ship pretty well. How are you liking the quest?"

Kane smirked. "It's pretty good. The people are pretty cool too, though some of them can be annoyingly heroic."

"Oh yeah?" Maia asked. Kane nodded.

"Yep. And, between you and me, I like one of them more than the rest." He lowered his voice. "In fact, I, uh, kinda, well, like her."

Maia's heart sunk. She tried to keep the disappointment from showing on her face. "Really? Who?"

"Well, the thing is, I'm not sure if she likes me, or if she likes someone else."

Maia's throat felt dry. "Oh, well is it Eva? Because I'm pretty sure there's something going on between her and Michael."

"And what about you?" Kane asked, his face centimetres away from hers.

"Huh? Wh-" Maia was cut off by Kane leaning forward, pressing his lips to hers.

The kiss was short, but Maia felt like she was crackling with energy. Feelings burst through her.

Kane pulled back. Tons of emotions flickered through his eyes. Maia saw happiness, longing, yet also regret and guiltiness.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I just had to- I understand if you don't feel the same. There's something I have to tell you, anyway, Maia-"

This time Maia was the one to cut him off, closing the distance between them. Kane responded, pressing himself against her.

Maia pulled back just a millimetre, their foreheads still pressed against each other. "Luckily for you, I do feel the same way."

Kane grinned against her lips, lacing his fingers in hers.

And in that moment, Maia forgot everything else.

* * *

**Yup, Kaia happened. Whaddya think? Hey, it was a romance chapter all round, with even suggestions of Michael/Eva... wonder what will happen there, huh. **

**Hope the legacies enjoyed that moment of relaxation, 'cause from now on it is a rollercoaster ride. We're nearing towards the end game, and the next few chapters promise to be intense. Not to mention, there's a big plot twist coming up soon... can anyone guess it? There have been some hints to it... **

**I plan on updating Colliding Worlds this weekend, and maybe this story too. My schedules becoming a bit more packed, so updates may become more difficult. **

**But, as always, the more reviews means there _will be _a quicker update. Thanks!**


	20. Chapter 19

**So, I posted this chapter a little earlier than expected. This story is nearing its end, and I wanna focus my energy on it and give it a good finish, while I'm still on steam with this story. The next chapter should be up tuesday/wednesday. **

**As for Colliding Worlds... I know I said I'd update that today, but in all likelihood, that's not going to happen. I will try and post the next chapter during the early days of next week, but like I said, I'm focusing on this story right now. Once its done, all my attention will be on Colliding Worlds.**

**Thanks to all reviewers! Please review this chapter, I hope you enjoy it! Remember, the more reviews I get, the quicker I update this story and post the finale, and the quicker I can focus on Colliding Worlds! So review!**

* * *

Chapter 20

Adam

Adam yawned as he walked up to the top deck, the morning sun greeting him. They had reached their destination overnight. They were officially now in Washington, somewhere near Richland, on the border of Columbia River.

Ant was on deck, as was Amy. "Who d'you think it will be?" He heard Ant asking as they approached. Amy gave Adam a sympathetic look.

"Well, there are only two people left…" Amy said.

Adam's parents were the only people left to rescue. He wasn't surprised. His parents, having been in two wars, had made more enemies than most demigods, and it was clear someone had a vendetta against them.

"We're in the same state as Washington D.C," Adam speculated, "home of the presidents. Quite a few were children of Athena, George Washington himself included. I think it'll be mom."

"It will probably be Annabeth," Eva agreed, having come up on deck. Others followed now. Maia accidentally bumped into Kane, and they both sprung apart, Kane offering apologies. They both walked to the crowd, blushes on their face. Adam suspected something had happened.

Maybe he would have to have a talk with Kane, just to let him know he should not mess with his sister.

But right now, there were more important matters. Adam, Aria, and Damian had already volunteered to go, and they were now approaching the creek where the map led them.

"Ready?" Michael asked, as he lowered the ladder. Adam nodded, putting his sword, Theristis, in its sheath.

* * *

They walked through the grass. Aria scowled.

"Why so impatient?" Adam joked.

"We've been walking for ages, and nothing," Aria said, annoyed. She plucked her bowstring.

Damian turned round, slightly ahead of them. "We'll see something soon, I'm sure of it."

Suddenly, to the side, Adam noticed something glisten in the ground. He knelt down. There was a puddle of green liquid there, like melted dracaenae goop. The thing was entrancing. That's when Adam made his first mistake. He dipped a finger into the liquid, trying to figure out what it was. He felt a searing pain at first, at then collapsed.

* * *

He was in the darkness of a cave, only a few glinting lights breaking the blackness. Adam could tell there was someone else there, but he couldn't see whom. His eyes slowly adjusted, and the person stepped forward.

"Mark?" he asked, the son of Rachel standing before him. Mark gasped.

"It worked," he breathed. "It was such a long shot… what state are you in? There must be something going on to be able to receive the message."

"Wait, is this actually you?" Adam asked, wary.

"Yes, I sent out a spiritual message. It's kinda a gift from Apollo, but I've never actually tried it before. But I had to try now, I had to tell you. I'm not sure how you're aware enough to receive this message, but I don't have much time."

"What is it?" he asked.

"I've been having visions, and as the monster attacks on the camps increase, they've become more and more frequent."

"Wait," Adam asked, "monster attacks at camp? Wha-"

Mark held up a hand. "No time to explain! I'm already fading. Just know, it's happening soon, and it will be damaging. It's one move in the chess game… you have to think ahead."

"That doesn't make sense!" Adam cried, but Mark was already disappearing.

"Good luck, Adam."

"Adam! Adam!" Adam now heard another voice, a female one, and he was pulled away from the darkness. Aria's face was above his, her blonde hair hanging down, her green eyes worried.

"You're awake," she said in relief, before punching him in the arm. "What's wrong with you? Why would you touch the poison?"

"It was poison?" Adam asked.

Damian nodded grimly. "Dracaenae poison. Luckily it didn't kill you since it didn't enter your body, but even contact can knock you out. It's famed for its enhancement for spirituality, which is why ancient temple keepers used to use it."

Adam remembered what Mark had said. This must have been why he could receive Mark's method. He told his companions about it.

Aria grimaced. "That doesn't sound too great, but we'll have to deal with it later. Right now, we have bigger problems."

"Are you kidding me?" Adam asked. They were at one end of a massive field, big enough for a battle to take place in it. In front of them was a huge stonewall, a dead end… except for the fact there were three different passages in front of them, carved into the rock, leading into darkness. "Which way do we go?"

"I don't know," Damian said, "but it's important that we figure it out." He pointed to something carved on the rock, above the entrance.

_Three paths face you, but two lead to certain death._

_Only one brings you to your destination. _

_Only those who beat the riddle may pass. _

_I hope you do well, and follow in the steps of Odysseus, or Drake,_

_To hold the open like ancient Greeks, _

_For balance is the key. _

"What does that mean?" Adam asked.

"We don't know," Aria told him, "but we better figure it out. Only one way leads us to mom- the others lead us to death."

"Damian, you have the best chance of figuring it out." Out of all the Jackson children, Damian had the most intense Athena-like desire to learn. Damian nodded.

"But you better do it quickly," Aria warned. "Look."

Adam turned round. Slithering towards them were a group of dracaenae, tens of them. "I knew that poison had to come form somewhere."

Aria shot an arrow at one of the snakes, disintegrating it. She continued to do that, but another monster appeared to their side. Adam hurled Theristis at it. The balance of the sword made it easy, and Theristis always appeared before his feet again.

They continued to do that, Aria using her bow, and Adam using his sword to deal with any monsters that came too near.

"Damian, any luck?" Aria asked. Damian shook his head.

"I'm trying to figure out the fourth line, but-"

"Damian, you have to do this quicker," Adam said desperately.

"I'm trying as fast as I can!"

More and more monsters flooded into the field, too many for two demigods to deal with, especially from long range.

"They're going to over-run us!" Aria yelled.

Adam closed his eyes in desperation. He could feel his frustration pouring through him, and the ground- it was vibrating, responding to his anger. He concentrated harder, and as he opened his eyes, the earth rippled in a wave, exploding out to the monsters.

"How did I just do that?" Adam asked, his eyes wide.

"Poseidon- he's the earth shaker! You must have inherited that power!" Damian guessed, in awe.

The monsters were temporarily thrown back, but soon they continued to approach the trio. Adam held out his hand to his twin sister.

"Aria! Try it together!" Aria took his hand, and together they closed their eyes.

Another earth wave passed under them. The ground started shaking violently. Aria clearly had this power over the earth too, and together, their strength combined, they were disintegrating the monsters.

"I figured it out!" Damian cried. "Odysseus and Drake both made the mistake of going right, and got lost, so we shouldn't take the right path. The open confused me, but I realised the clue was in the next line, in the word key. Ancient Greeks always associated secrets with the left, and secret is the opposite of open. The line balance is the key, suggests the middle path- the balance between left and right."

"Are you sure?" Adam asked. Damian looked confident. Adam stamped his foot on the ground, and the earth exploded in front of the monsters, collapsing in a trench.

"That buys us some time," Adam told them.

"Come on," Aria said urgently, and they charged into the middle tunnel.

The tunnel was dark and cold, but there was a light at the end of it. They ran, their footsteps echoing. Adam knew they wouldn't have long before the monsters would reach the tunnel- and then they would be done for. But Adam could barely think straight- he was still buzzing with the knowledge that he could cause a miniature earthquake. Not even Percy could do that- it was a power that must have come directly from Poseidon himself.

Suddenly they reached Annabeth, tied up to the rocky wall, just before the other end of the tunnel, which steered upwards towards the ground.

"Mom," Adam breathed. Aria knelt by her, and poured some nectar into her mouth, as Damian untied her bonds. She was already fading, but she hugged them fiercely.

"Go," she said. "The monsters, they're coming. Good luck," she said, as she disappeared.

"Come on," Aria said. "We need to get to the Argo II before we get overrun by monsters."

* * *

Adam was on the deck of the Argo II, next to Ant. The monsters were gathering beneath them, the trio having only just boarded the ship.

"Come on, Ant," Adam urged.

Michael looked at the monsters. "Ant, we need to be moving!" he yelled urgently.

Ant looked worried. "I'm trying!" He fiddled with the system, jamming on a button. Festus whirred for a second, before the engine died down. Ant punched in a code on a monitor.

"What's happening?" Maia asked, from where she was standing next to Kane, looking worried.

"Adam, pull that throttle," Ant instructed. Adam looked at the one he was pointing, the one entitled 'Jet Thrusters'.

"Ant, are you su-"

"Now!"

Without further delay, Adam pulled the throttle. The engine roared to life, and the Argo II was blasted into the sky. Adam nearly lost his balance. They were moving far away from the monsters, higher up, where the air was colder.

Ant was still working though, pushing buttons, and selecting machines. He had a desperate look on his face.

"Festus! Come on!"

"Ant, what's happ-" But Adam was cut off, as once again the engine died. The Argo II stayed in the air for a split second, everything motionless, before it fell, crashing back towards the ground.

* * *

**Cliffhanger! Heheh, there's more of those to come, trust me... wait till the next few chapters :) **

**Review for quicker update!**


	21. Chapter 20

**As promised, chapter 20! Sorry about the cliffhanger last time, but it doesn't get much better ;)**

**Thanks to all reviews, you guys are awesome!:**

**Guest: Well spotted! You're right, I did say that, but it wasn't a mistake. The map only showed two more dots. I haven't forgot about Tyson, it was part of my plan, don't worry!**

** : Thanks! Yeah, I feel like the legacies are inexperienced and slightly out of their depth, so its natural they're still coming to terms with any powers they have. I'm glad you picked up on that!**

**And thanks to all other reviews! We're nearly at 100! It would be amazing if we reached that... I would post another chapter straight away... Hey, I'd even post a chapter of Colliding Worlds straight away! C'mon, lets get to 100! Please review!**

* * *

Chapter 21

Antonio

For the first second all Ant could feel was panic.

Free falling through the air was not good, and Ant was certain they were going to die. But Ant couldn't afford to lose his head. He had to act like his father would. He grabbed the controls. The rushing wind made it difficult to see, but he could still make out the flashing red warning sign on his monitor.

Everyone else on deck was trying to keep their balance, and there was yelling coming from below deck. It only reminded Ant he had to work quickly.

He grabbed the fuel bar, and yanked it upwards. The green question popped up on the screen, asking him to confirm his action. He could've screamed. He couldn't afford any wasted time. He smashed yes, and the fuel reserves started to channel in, as Ant tried to shift the gears.

Ant knew by doing that, they wouldn't be able to move again. The ship would be down without any backup resources. But none of that mattered now if they died.

Festus roared as he tried to get the ship under control. Ant grabbed the thruster, and tilted it, trying to kick-start the engine. It was going too slow.

They were nearly at impact, when Festus brought the propellers to life. The ship steadied itself, shooting forward, at tree level. However, the action couldn't be sustained. The energy levels dipping, the Argo II banged to the ground, Ant barely having time to activate the landing gears.

Ant was thrown to the floor at impact. His breathing was shallow, but relief poured through him.

They had survived, at the very least.

"What happened?" Amy demanded, still panting, shocked from the events.

They were in the middle of some remote fields, rocky woodland. The ship was out of fuel, and Ant had a feeling he wouldn't be able to get it to move.

They were stuck.

Guilt rose in Ant. It was all his fault. He knew the ship had been experiencing errors for days, ever since the mountain, and the rescue of Jason. He hadn't told anyone, warned anybody. He had tried to fix it himself, but he had failed.

And he had nearly killed everyone else because of his mistakes.

"The ship… there was a malfunction," Ant said, his throat dry.

Michael and Eva exchanged worried looks. "Can you fix it?"

Ant shook his head. "I don't think so. It's all my fault, the ship's been acting up since the mountain… I think a storm spirit or something got to the engine, because something is persistently trying to destroy it, and now the fuel supplies completely collapsed. It's like they did it on purpose."

"They might have, could've been planning it for a while," Maia said grimly.

"Without any supplies, I won't be able to fix it. I should've said something, or fixed it, but I didn't, and now we're stranded. It's all my fault."

"It's not your fault, Ant," Eva said gently, squeezing his shoulder.

"Yeah," Aria said, smiling at him. "Why don't you just check the GPS for any potential place nearby where we can get the necessary supplies?"

"I… I guess I could do that," Ant said, hope rising through him.

"There probably won't be anything, what's the point?" Kane asked. Ant thought he looked particularly stricken, but Ant just pinned that down to the fact that they had all nearly died through crashing.

"It's worth a shot," Reid said.

Ant checked the files. "Come on, Festus…"

The result pinged up. Elation filled through Ant. "There's a underground cave system nearby where we can get some copper ore… if I can bring that here and melt that down, with the converter that's installed, it should do the trick!"

Everyone grinned in relief.

"So we should send a party to go get that," Emma suggested, "and Ant will probably have to go." Ant nodded, determined. This was his problem, and he would fix it.

"I'll go too," Kane said quickly. Michael looked uneasy, but nodded.

Amy volunteered as well, and Maia did as well. Everyone agreed, and the crowd split as preparations were made.

Kane grabbed Maia's hand. Ant, only a couple of feet away, tinkering with the control panel, tried not to listen to them, turning red. Everyone had suspected that there was something going on between Kane and Maia (Aria, Lily and Emma had been gushing about it for days) but, Ant had accidentally heard Maia tell Eva that she and Kane had kissed, causing Eva to squeal for about ten minutes.

Still, this was not subtle.

"Maia, I don't think you should go," Kane pleaded.

"Why?" Maia asked, taken aback.

Kane took Maia's hand in both of his, bringing hers to his lips. "I have a bad feeling about this," he said firmly, "it'll be dangerous, and I don't want you getting hurt."

Maia smiled softly. "Kane, I'll be fine. Don't worry."

Kane looked at her, worried. "Maia-" he looked almost ill, desperate.

"Kane, it'll be fine," Maia insisted.

Kane took a breath. "Okay, fine, but listen, Maia, I- I need to tell you something. I-"

But Kane was cut off by Amy approaching them.

"Guys, we need to go."

The four of them entered the massive cavern, leaving the light behind them.

"This place is huge," Amy said in awe, her words echoing.

Maia held up the lantern higher, as they moved forward as a unit, the lantern warding away the dark.

"Keep an eye out for any metal," Ant told them, "but it should be further down the cavern."

"If only there was a star to guide us," Maia said remorsefully.

"If only my father, Kratos, were here," Kane said, almost as if he didn't realise he was speaking.

"What?" Amy asked.

Kane looked at them, embarrassed. "Oh, well, my father is sometimes referred to as 'the star', it's his symbol. It's part of his titan membership card," he joked, but he didn't seem like he was really in a joking mood.

They walked for a while, a chilly wind facing them. "Still further," Ant told them.

Suddenly, Kane stopped. "It's a dead end. We have to go back."

Kane was right. The cavern just ended in rocky wall.

"But that doesn't make sense," Ant said, "there has to be some way further, the metal is further. We can't go back."

"We have no other choice," Kane told him.

"Actually," Maia said, her grey eyes glinting, "we do. Look."

There was a small, snaking passage on one side, leading further on, through the wall. Ant grinned in relief. Kane frowned.

"It doesn't look very safe."

"It'll be fine," Amy said dispassionately.

They walked through the path, single-file, in silence.

Suddenly, the path opened up, revealing another large cavern.

"This place is like a maze," Ant muttered. "But the metal should be here," he said, hope rising in him.

They searched around, till Maia called out. "I've found it!" she said excitedly. Kane grinned at her, but his grin soon faded.

Ant rushed over. The metal was stacked up, forming on the rocky ground, glinting silver.

"How are we going to store it all?" Kane asked.

Ant grinned, holding up the brown leather pouch he had brought with him. "It's my mom's. It's magic, it can hold any one object, as much of it as possible."

They started to work, scraping the metal into the pouch. Once they were done, Kane brushed off his hands.

"Ok, lets go," he said.

"Wait," Amy called out, "there's another passage over there. Let's go find out what's there." Now that Amy had pointed it out, Ant could see the passage, similar to the one they had come through.

"There's no point," Kane said harshly, "we've got what we came for, now lets go back."

"But there could be some more in there," Ant pointed out, "so we should check it out."

Maia nodded in agreement. "Who knows what could be there? It's not like there's any harm in taking an extra two minutes to see."

"But there's no poi- no!" he yelled, but it was too late. The others had already started walking through the passage.

The passage was thin, and suddenly veered to the left. It was a twisty path, but soon they came out.

All Ant could tell was that they were in an extremely big cavern, as they filtered out into it. Suddenly, he heard a hissing voice, loud and clear.

"I'm so glad you finally made it." Ant's blood turned cold.

As Ant's eyes adjusted, and flames appeared along the rocky wall of the cavern, he could see the whole horrible scene.

The cavern was filled with monsters- telkhines, dracaenae, empousai. They jeered at the legacies.

Standing at the centre of the cavern, in front of the monsters was… a male dracaenae? He was larger than an average snake-man-creature, and below his waist were two thick snake trunks. Above his waist he was a muscular man, with an evil glint in his eyes.

"How?" Amy asked, shocked.

The man smiled cruelly. "So foolish. Ran right into my trap. You think the metal you needed was here by chance, so close to where you landed? You never even suspected a thing."

"But how would you know the ship would break down?" Ant asked, stumped.

The man smiled. "My name is Kraken. I know everything." Ant scowled at him. "Of course, I had some help from the inside."

Ant's brain spun. "No…" Amy whispered. Ant's breathing stopped. He remembered Calypso's words… _Don't trust the star's gift._ He remembered Kane saying his father was referred to as 'the star'… and he also remembered the one star present in the sky, glinting, the night they had found Kane.

Kraken smiled. "Yes. Kane, thank you. You did your job perfectly. The lord is very pleased with your performance. You've done your mission now, you can come here."

It took a minute for Ant to register Kraken's words. His eyes fell on Kane, to the left of them, a small distance away. He looked at them guiltily, remorse on his face. Acting.

"You…" Maia started, her face contorted in fury. Her grey eyes were murderous. Ant had never seen her this way. "I trusted you!" she screamed. "The whole time…" her voice was brought back down to a whisper. "You traitor."

Kane looked broken. A dracaenae came towards him, trying to pull him back, but he sliced her in half. Kraken raised the staff in his hand, warningly, and Kane started to move back.

"Maia, I- I tried to tell you-"

"Don't speak," Maia snarled.

"It was before I knew you!" Kane shouted back. "If I'd known what would've happened… I didn't mean for-"

"Enough!" Kraken commanded. He put an arm around Kane's shoulder. Kane didn't move, but simply stared at Maia. "Well done, Kane. We have elsewhere to attend. But to the rest of you… kill the legacies."

The monsters moved in to attack.

"Why are you doing this?" Amy cried out.

Kraken smirked. "When you die… the others will be broken. They will play right into the hands of _our_ master."

The monsters lunged. Amy sparked out with her electricity. Maia immediately shot a water jet forwards, but she was aiming it at Kane. The look in her eyes were terrifying.

Ant ignored the betrayal he felt because of Kane. He needed to focus. He threw a screw, deadly sharp, at Kraken, but the snake dodged. Kane was simply standing still, his hands pressed together. Ant felt like punching him, but he had bigger issues.

The monsters swarmed them. Ant swung his hammer. The wind was moving faster, thanks to Amy. There was a circle around Maia, the monsters nearing her being disintegrated by her water. Her hair whipped in Amy's wind.

Ant knew it was hopeless. There were too many monsters. They would die here, despite all their efforts.

An empousai raked her claws on Ant's back. He cried out in pain, feeling blood. He could see Amy was tiring down too, and Maia had a cut on her cheek.

Ant knew what was coming. The end.

Suddenly grey mist descended on them. The world slowed down. A deep voice spoke out to them_. The wish has been granted… in time, may you see. The path is treacherous, but understanding lies on its way if you can reach it…_

Ant's vision turned black. When he opened his eyes, him, Maia and Amy were back in the woods, above ground, near the ship.

"What just happened?" Amy asked, disoriented.

"Something saved us," Ant said in awe.

"Now what?" Amy asked.

"We go back to the ship," Maia said, already starting to walk.

"Maia…" Ant knew she must still be in pain at Kane's betrayal.

"And if we ever see him, or anyone of his monster friends again," Maia's voice was so low now it was almost a whisper, "I'll kill him."

* * *

**Plot twist, and so another cliffhanger again. (Heheh) Poor Maia :( Lets hope she never sees Kane again, or he'll be done for. **

**The climax is fast approaching, and I'm really excited! Please review your thoughts!**

**I should be posting the next chapter this weekend, and updating Colliding Worlds around the same time. **

**Of course, if I get more reviews, it will be a quicker update. And if we reach a hundred (!) I will post immediately! So get reviewing!**


	22. Chapter 21

**You guys are awesome! We got 100 reviews! *cheers* I'm so happy, thanks to you all! **

**geekyglamour413: So many questions... answers coming up in the story soon, don't worry... all shall be revealed :p**

**NinjagoZaneLover: I think Percy's awesome too! And to answer your question- this chapter, in fact! **

**demigoddess13: I'm glad you like this story! I do plan on starting both those stories, but not just yet. Once I've finished this story, which will be fairly soon, I have my exams coming up, so for a few weeks my posts will be far less frequent. But once they're over, in just over a month, I'll post those stories and start working on them, as well as Colliding Worlds**

**Pacenya347: I did leave some hints, so well done for picking up on them ;) some of them were quite obscure**

**And thanks to all reviews! Kane should be afraid of you guys, some of you seemed pretty angry at him! Here's the next chapter for you guys! I know its a bit shorter than usual, but its a build up- you'll see... Enjoy, and please review!**

* * *

Chapter 21

Lily

"What?" Lily wasn't sure she had heard correctly. Kane had… betrayed them?  
Amy nodded to the group again, her face morose. Ant had melted the metal and was rebooting the system, working grimly by the control panel. Maia had excused herself to below deck as soon as she had reached, claiming she had wanted to clean her wound. Eva had gone with her.

"That backstabbing-" Michael's snarl was cut off by the Argo II taking off, a momentary look of relief passing across Ant's face.

"We're on our way to Oregon, Klamath falls," he told them.

"Percy," Emma said. Damian nodded in agreement. "If it's a waterfall-"

"I'll have to go," Maia said, now having come back on the deck, her face cleaned, Eva standing beside her. Lily could see Maia was burying her sorrow, Eva trying to help her move past it.

"I'll go too," Lily volunteered suddenly. Adelina spoke up too.

Michael nodded. "Ok, so you three go to rescue Percy-"

"And then what happens after that?" Adam asked. "Is the quest over?"

Michael looked uneasy. "Honestly? I'm not sure. Hopefully that will be it. But, I guess we'll cross that bridge when it comes to it."

* * *

"This seems a bit too easy," Lily said warily.

They ventured out onto the float. They were at the lake, the waterfall thundering down in the distance. Reaching out from the shore was a float, a grey structure, with paths leading towards the main floating square in the middle of the lake. Unconscious on it was Percy. Lily didn't know who put the float there, but now wasn't the time to question it.

They made their way towards him, Lily being careful not to fall in to the lake- the path was slippery.

They walked in silence, Adelina staring out into the water. Maia was focused straight ahead, an emotionless look on her face.

Lily could feel her hurt. Being a daughter of Aphrodite, she could tell when someone was reeling from the pain of love- and Maia most definitely was. She had been betrayed by someone who she had grown to care about, who she thought she could trust, and now she was breaking.

Lily wanted to gut Kane like a fish. She still couldn't believe he had been working with the monsters all that time.

Before Lily could see anything, they reached the main float.

Maia knelt besides Percy, pouring some nectar in his mouth. Lily looked around. The silence was unsettling… she felt like something was wrong.

Suddenly, a creature burst out of the water, landing on the float. It slammed itself at Lily, who stumbled backwards. Adelina gave a little cry, and slashed at the beast.

Lily realised it was a telkhine, a sea-dog creature. Lily spun round, and she realised more were coming from all directions.

The telkhines charged.

Lily immediately started fighting, Maia and Adelina helping. Lily swiped one with her sword, and it crumbled to dust.

Adelina's fire had little effect on them, so she had to resort back to using a weapon. Maia's waves however, were helpful. She thrust one onto some telkhines, but when it was close to dying down, the wave rose higher, even more powerful, disintegrating some beasts. Maia hadn't done that.

Percy groaned from the effort. "Dad!" Maia cried. Percy was already disappearing back to Camp Half-Blood.

"You won't be able to beat them all off on your own," he told them. "You need help," he managed to get the words across before fading.

Help? Help from where? The ship wouldn't be here in time, and there was no one else.

Percy was right though. They wouldn't be able to beat all the telkhines. As many as they destroyed, more just took their place.

"What do we do?" Adelina asked, desperate, as they were about to be over-run.

Suddenly, a horn blew in the distance. Lily exchanged a look with the other two. Cyclopes began to charge into the mass of telkhines, destroying dozens. And, at the lead, a very familiar face.

"Uncle Tyson!" Maia said joyfully. Tyson grinned at them happily, his group of Cyclopes destroying the telkhines. No matter the resistance the beasts put up, the Cyclopes easily destroyed them.

Soon the telkhines were simply dust once again. Tyson bounded towards them. They hugged him. Tyson was friendly with all the legacies at camp- they all loved him.

"Tyson, what are you doing here?" Adelina asked. "Weren't you, you know, kidnapped?"

"Yes, I was," Tyson told them, "by a strange green light, but my Cyclopes soon rescued me. We heard there was bad trouble back at the camps, so we started making our way there, when we noticed the monsters, many of them coming here. I came here to see what was happening with a few of my soldiers, while the rest of my army carried on to the camp."

"Trouble? How bad is it?" Maia asked.

Suddenly a rainbow shot through the air, emerging from the water. An image appeared in the mist. It was an iris-message.

Mark was standing there, relief momentarily passing on his face when he saw them. "I managed to contact you!" he said.

"Mark? What's happened?"

"You have to come back," Mark said urgently. Lily could vaguely make out people hurrying behind him, but the image was blurry. "The camps… they're in trouble. There's a monster army nearly here, and we have to defend ourselves. It's chaos. The gate between the camps isn't working- no one can move between the camps, and all of the seven are at Camp Half-Blood. I'm in Camp Jupiter right now, but we don't have long. We're going to have to fight back, but there are way more monsters than we have fighters."

Lily's brain spun. A monster army, nearly at the camps?

She had hoped rescuing Percy would have been the end of this, but it wasn't. The trouble had barely begun. They had to get back to the camp in time, and help fight.

The war had started.

* * *

**Duhn, duhn, duhn! Next chapter will be intense, and the one after that even more so! It's getting serious, and quickly!**

**I hope to post the next chapter soon, hopefully sometime next week. As always, more reviews, and I will be more likely to post the next chapter quickly. **

**I'll be taking a bit longer to update Colliding Worlds, because, like I said, I'm focusing on the finish of this story. But that should be update next week too. **

**So, please, before you go, review, and the next update will be quicker! Thanks!**


	23. Chapter 22

**The next chapter is up! And the war has started- things are getting intense! As always, thanks to all reviews!:**

**geekyglamour413: Yup, the climax is here. However, as to the other thing... I'm mean. You'll see ;)**

**Guest: Thanks, but I don't think I'm as good as Rick- though I'm humbled that you think so! Though to be honest, I thought Blood of Olympus was a huge letdown... it wasn't nearly as good as any of his other books! **

**Pacenya347: Yup ;) Don't expect that to change. However, you should be safe next chapter, considering it is the last one! (Unless I do an epilogue) But as for this chapter... well...**

**demigoddess13: Exams are the worst... and yet we have to do them. I'm glad you like my stories and my writing!**

**As always, please continue to review! Next chapter will be posted asap, but honestly, I don't know when, since I have some tests coming up next week (Not my exams!) so I may have to take a brief pause. Hopefully next thursday/friday, but maybe next weekend. On the other hand, there is a chance I'll be able to write this weekend and post it on Monday! It depends on... yep, you guessed it, reviews!**

**This is the penultimate chapter, unless I decide to do an epilogue, which I think I might. What do you guys think? **

**Enjoy, and please review!**

* * *

Chapter 22

Michael

"War, huh?" Eva said, trying to make the atmosphere lighter. They were in the armoury, and Michael had sharpened his sword. He had just been trying (and failing) to put on his armour, when Eva had walked in, and insisted on helping him.

The ship had been in a frantic mode ever since Maia, Lily and Adelina had got back and told them what they had found out. The Cyclopes had continued on their way to the camp, but the legacies would be taking the ship there.

"I still can't believe it," Michael admitted, as Eva tightened the back-strap, standing behind him.

"I know," she responded, as she walked around to face him. "We barely started this quest, and now monsters are everywhere, and a battle's about to take place." Her face was worried as she adjusted his shoulder straps. "It's the first major unrest since Gaia, and now we have to help deal with it."

"Hey," Michael said gently, "it's ok. We can do it."

Eva brushed off her hands lightly, and stepped back. "I know. Here, your armour's fine now."

Suddenly, the Argo II came to a halt.

They were there at Camp Jupiter.

"I better go," he told Eva, who herself still had to clean her dagger. A pit formed in Michael's stomach. He knew, as one of Camp Jupiter's best fighters, he would be expected to join the lead of the fight. He would have to face the enemy, something they still weren't entirely sure of.

That was a lot of pressure.

Eva seemed to sense his anxiety. She put a hand on his shoulder, holding him back. "Michael," she said, her eyes looking at him, reassuring. Michael looked at her eyes, the warm caramel brown, entrancing. Before he even had time to think, she was leaning in, pressing her warm lips against his. Instinctively, he responded, kissing her back. They broke apart, taking a breath of air. Michael's stomach was tingling, and his brain was screaming. He had had a crush on Eva for a while now, but this was the first time the possibility of something actually happening seemed real.

Eva looked at him, a smile on her lips. "Don't die," she said.

"I promise," Michael said, dumbfounded. She smirked, before turning around and walking away, picking up a dagger, leaving Michael behind, still trying to process what in Zeus had just happened.

* * *

"You guys got here!" Mark rushed to them, having seen the ship touch down in the New Rome. From the ship, Michael had been able to see the chaos.

Monsters, fighting their way to the centre of the camp. Campers battled them, slashing some to dust, but they were being driven back. The monsters ranks were replenished every now and then, a fresh wave of monsters to replace the last.

It was an outright battle, and it wasn't going well.

"Mark, how long has the battle been going on for?" Adam asked.

"The monsters attacked only a short while ago, but we haven't been able to damage them significantly. Not only that, we can't get any backup."

"Why?" Emma asked.

"The gate! It's been closed off, it's not working for some reason. No one can travel between the camps, and all of the seven are in Camp Half-Blood." The revelation hit Michael like a ton of bricks. They would have to fight this without their parents. They wouldn't be getting any help. It was up to them to finish the battle. Mark continued. "We've iris messaged them, and Camp Half-Blood is being attacked to, but there seems to be more monsters here. The seven are handling the battle there, but it's up to us here."

Michael couldn't lie. He was anxious. His stomach was burning, and the fact that it would be just them to defend the camp against a monster army… if they failed, the consequences…

Michael shook himself out of it. They had to help. People were fighting right now. He turned around, and looked at the crew of the quest. Eva was looking at him, worried, and next to her Maia, determined. Ant and Aria were next, looking slightly nervous, but both Adam and Emma were bracing themselves for the battle. Adelina was tapping her fingers nervously, as was Lily, and Amy was clenching her fists. All of them were worried, but they were all ready to do this. Michael felt a surge of affection for his crew. Together, they had completed one of the most difficult quests in a decade. They had done that, and they could do this.

"We've come this far, guys," Michael told them, "and we had to fight out way here, but we managed to rescue everyone, we succeeded. We can win this battle. Every single one of us has proved themselves, and now we have to show those monsters what we can do."

Everyone grinned.

They were ready to fight.

* * *

Michael raised his sword. In front of them, the battlefield was crazy, a mess of demigods and monsters fighting. Mark led them towards where they were needed.

"The Cyclopes have got that area covered, but the dracaenae are strong here, and the empousai are a real threat, as well as the manticores." Mark continued to help Michael as his brain whirred.

"Lily, Emma, Damian, you guys go there," Michael told him, "but Amy, Maia, they need you where the manticores are." He continued to give instructions, putting everyone where they would be of most help. "I'll work my way northwards. Got it?" Everyone nodded, and split up. Michael paced forward, smashing into a telkhine. He dodged an empousai's claws, before lunging to her left. She tried to scratch his arm, but she deflected his blow. He feinted to his right, before swinging his sword up. The empousai screeched in surprise, before crumbling to dust.

All around Michael, demigods and legacies fought. He spotted Larry Jr., the eighteen year old who was the current praetor of New Rome. He was commanding the legions, but he could only do so much, especially considering right now there was only one praetor- elections were going to be held soon to decide the next one. Larry spotted him, and nodded tersely, worried about the situation.

Michael continued to battle the monsters that jumped out at him. His sword was soon coated in monster dust, and sweat was pooling on Michael's skin, but he continued to fight. A dracaenae managed to get a scratch on him, and he reeled in pain.

He managed to destroy the dracaenae, but his back stretched in pain. He held his sword out, ready to defend himself despite his pain, but the dog-headed creature coming his way was stabbed by Eva, who smiled at him. Her beam faded when she saw Michael's cut.

She rushed over and poured nectar over the wound. The skin healed.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her eyes scanning the battlefield.

"I'm fine," Michael said. Eva's face was smudged, and there was a small gash on her neck, but to Michael she was still beautiful. He stared at her, almost forgetting the battle. She blushed when she noticed, though there was a smile pulling on her lips.

"That thing's the problem now," she said, nodding in a direction.

A distance away from them, nearer the edge of the battlefield, was a giant, not one of the ones of the Giant War- no, this one was definitely not a child of Gaia, but a common giant, like a hyperborean one, except bigger and much meaner looking, and definitely a lot more dangerous. With a sweep of his sword he knocked demigods over, and the area was being cleared around him.

"He needs to be taken out, or we don't stand a chance," Eva said desperately.

Michael started to move towards the giant. "I'll do it."

"Michael-"Eva began, but Michael interrupted her.

"Go help with the empousai horde over there, they need you. I'll be fine. Trust me," he implored her. Her eyes softened under his gaze, and she nodded, running off.

Michael set off, running towards the giant. On the way, he slashed any monster that came in his path. Soon he had reached the giant. He held up his sword and bellowed.

"Face me, and do your worst!"

The giant grunted at him, annoyed, as Michael leapt forward and stabbed his leg. The giant, big and slow, stumbled. He lunged for Michael who dodged. He roared in fury.

"Soldiers, help me! Flank the bottom!" The Romans nearby understood, and rushed forward, stabbing the giant at the bottom. The giant, too focused on Michael, ignored them, though yelled in pain. Michael knew he had to act quickly. He vaulted towards the war elephant, a little to the side, and leapt up the saddle. The elephant whinnied in surprise.

"Sorry, buddy," Michael told him. Once he was on the saddle, he took a breath, before leaping onto the giant, landing on his shoulder. Without wasting time, he stabbed his shoulder. The giant screamed, the sound nearly bursting Michael's eardrum. His giant left eye glared at Michael, and he brought a hand up to whack him off like a fly. Quickly Michael jumped, holding onto the giant's greasy hair, and swung to the other shoulder, doing the same. Without pause this time, Michael stabbed the giant's flabby neck.

There was a pause as the giant yelled in agony, before the giant began to fall. Michael braced himself, before jumping off as the giant neared the ground, crashing to the earth.

There was a resounding thud as the giant collapsed, and for a second there was silence. As Michael lifted his head, he could see the giant was dead.

"You killed him," a legacy said in awe from nearby.

There was a cheer in the area near him, and suddenly the legacies were lifting Michael on their shields, and chanting. The cry soon turned to: "Praetor! Praetor!" Michael grinned, his stomach buzzing. Larry smiled and nodded at him, approving of the people's decision.

Michael was happy, but he knew the battle was far from over. The legacies on the quest were gathering in one area, and Michael could see why. Kraken, the male dracaenae Ant had described, was there on the battlefield, holding a long wooden staff. As Michael's feet once again touched the ground, he immediately made his move.

"Legionnaires! As is my duty now as praetor, I will make sure with every breath we win this battle. First cohort, take the western flank…" Michael continued to direct the cohorts, reordering the chaos of the battle. The right tactics came to Michael naturally, a gift from Mars.

Once he was finished, Michael knew where he needed to go. He turned on his heel, and sword raised, ran towards Kraken.

* * *

As he approached the crowd, Kraken hissed. Monsters were waiting behind him, moving with vicious energy, waiting for the signal before they moved in for kill.

"Michael!" Emma cried, giving him a worried look. The questers were in a semi-circle, facing Kraken. It was then that Michael saw Mark.

Mark stumbled, his body going limp, but still standing. Green mist swirled and his eyes glazed over.

_The green one, to rise he wishes,_

_Yet only eleven who have lifted the trouble of their predecessors,_

_And have proven themselves, only they can give way for him, _

_And once struck, never to be contained,_

_Without the help from the secret, and a need for redemption._

Michael blinked, confused. It was a prophecy, yet it struck Michael as more of a warning…

Mark staggered, confused. Lily took him, reorienting him. Michael and Eva exchanged worried looks.

"Indeed," Kraken hissed in triumph. "The child of the great oracle speaks the truth. Because of you, my master shall rise!"

Michael raised his sword. "What are you talking about? Who?"

Kraken was taking his staff and tracing shapes into the dirt beneath his feet, glee on his face. "Who do you think? He has been slumbering for millennia… Let me tell you a story legacies." Michael scowled, but Kraken continued. "There was an elder titan, more powerful than any other. But early on, he was constrained to bounds of darkness. Gaia would not stand for this titan existing, for he posed a threat to her own children, and Kronos' rule. With the help of Tartarus, he was chucked into the eternal abyss." Kraken hissed in fury as if it was the greatest injustice. Michael could see Damian's face shifting to understanding- and horror. Damian knew who it was. Kraken continued. "Millennia this titan, Kakia, was silenced. But he always knew he would come back, for there was a prophecy. And he has been working, coming up with the plan. I assisted him, the eternal master, since when he comes back, he will take what is rightfully his as the most magnificent elder titan- power. The rule from Olympus. But to do that, he must first take out the demigods."

Michael snarled. "We won't let that happen." Kraken just smirked, continuing to swirl his staff in the dirt, tracing lines.

Damian gulped. "Guys… I've heard of Kakia. He's bad. He was described as being born from a snake egg, a giant titan, snaky, and immensely powerful… he's one of the elder titans, the most monstrous one- we can't let him rise. If he comes back, we're all doomed."

"Then we have to stop Kraken letting him rise!" Amy cried.

"Too late!" Kraken yelled. In horror, Michael realised that Kraken had been drawing symbols in the ground, not just tracing…. It was a summoning ritual.

Without further delay, Michael charged forwards, directly towards Kraken. The legacies followed him.

Suddenly Kraken smashed his staff on the ground. There was a ripple, and Michael fell down in a burst of energy and light. Kraken jeered. Michael tried to move, but he couldn't. Magic.

"Fools," he sneered. "You are the last piece. The eleven who have lifted the trouble of their predecessors? That's you. The prophecy your friend said, that's Kakia's prophecy. He ordered me to capture your parents, Kakia was behind that… and you fell right into your trap. Your desire to save your parents from death meant you fulfilled the prophecy. And now, with you here, Kakia is rising."

Michael couldn't speak, but intense pain shot through him. So that was what this quest had all been about. Kakia had kidnapped their parents, all for this, for Kakia to rise. They had walked into a trap.

Kraken slammed his staff on the ground again, and a burst of green light, smoke, mist, engulfed Michael, who couldn't breathe, who could only feel the earth rumbling.

A large creature was shaking the ground, forming in the mist. Michael could vaguely make out a snake like form, gigantic, like a drakon, but bigger, scarier. There was a deep roar, and a voice rumbled, "Finally! I awake! I shall exact my justice," the voice bellowed, resounding through Michael.

It had happened. Kakia was awake, and they couldn't beat him.

Olympus was doomed.

* * *

**Uh, oh. What's going to happen? Predictions? You'll have to wait till the next chapter to find out, the final chapter bar a possible epilogue!**

**Like I said, this could be updated in a few days or a week, depending on my time and the amount of reviews. This story is nearing it's end, so please review! It would mean a lot!**


	24. Chapter 23

**Second last chapter! Can't believe it. Yes, I have decided to do an epilogue, though it will be less of an epilogue and more like a final chapter... you'll see.**

** : Ok, so yes, Kakia is in the greek myths, but he's really unknown. Though, to be honest, I did do some mix and match- ie. I took someone else's physical description (snake titan) and gave them Kakia's name. So it is distorted a bit, for the purpose of this story ;)**

**WitchoftheMountain: Well, there's going to be one now! Who's POV do you think I should do it in? Because I haven't decided yet!**

**Guest: Aw, thanks! Well, there won't be a cliffhanger this time... ish... **

**AshCat: Your review made me laugh so much, so thanks! ;) Damian was the one who inherited the intelligence the most, but others, like Aria, are fairly clever too, just not Athena demigod clever. And I was impressed with your predictions, but you'll have to read this chapter to see if they happen!**

**TheAwesomeOne: Normal elephants don't whinny, but magical roman ones do ;) Just joking, thanks for your points! I didn't notice that! Happy belated birthday, and enjoy the chapter!**

**Thanks to all reviews, you don't know how happy they make me! The story's drawing to a close, so why not review? Please? It will mean the final chapter is posted sooner!**

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Chapter 23

Maia

When Maia had realised there were monsters outside Camp Jupiter, that had been bad.

When Maia had found out the gate was shut off and there parents wouldn't be able to help them, that had been terrifying.

When the guy Maia had liked turned out to have been betraying them all along, that had been shattering.

And now, when Maia saw Kakia, back from the realms of chaos, in front of them, ready to exact his revenge- Maia knew she was dead.

Kakia had the body of a drakon, but way bigger. A scaly red trunk bigger than a lorry, and longer than a hundred feet, he slithered. His trunk turned into a torso, with green-tinted skin. He was muscular and clad in fiery armour. His hair was wild, and his red eyes were positively murderous.

Just looking at him, Maia wanted to run away and hide.

Kraken was laughing excitedly. "Yes, my lord, you are awake! I'm so glad, now you can take your rightful place-"

"Be quiet, you fool," Kakia commanded. His voice reverberated, echoing around the field. Kakia turned and a jet of fire blasted out of his mouth. Kraken crumbled into ashes.

Lily squeaked from her place beside Maia. Kakia had just murdered his own lieutenant- he was angry, thirsting for blood.

Just to make things worse, Kakia flicked his snaky tail, the trunk flopping against the ground. Monsters near the tail literally crumbled by the shock waves, and demigods and legacies stumbled.

But suddenly, the ashes shifted. They reformed, monsters re-piecing themselves.

As Maia looked around, this was happening all around the battlefield. Monsters were reforming at an impossible speed.

"Yes," Kakia said, satisfied, "rise again, my fallen troops."

With horror, Maia realised that Kakia had just revived the dead monsters. The monster army was replenished. The battered legions had no hope of holding them off.

But Maia couldn't worry about that problem right now, because first they had to deal with Kakia.

She exchanged a look at Michael, the new praetor of Rome. He lifted his sword.

"Kakia! Go back to where you came from!"

Kakia laughed. "Foolish legacy. Millennia I have waited for this. It will be a pleasure killing you."

"Too bad you won't get that chance," Maia snarled, "because we're sending you back to chaos first."

Maia raised her hands and concentrated. She could feel the water from the Little Tiber swirling, rushing its way towards them.

With a colossal pound, the jet of water smacked into Kakia. The water started to swirl, forming a tornado, Maia at the centre of it. Kakia looked mildly irritated, but it hadn't done him any harm.

Maia went on the offensive, massive pools of water smashing into the beast. Kakia snarled.

Before he could retaliate, the legacies moved. They attacked, spurred on by Maia's move, facing Kakia.

Amy immediately started to hover, lightning flickering around her. Eva was singing as she wielded her dagger, poisonous plants growing thick and fast, wherever they touched Kakia causing rashes and sore lumps to appear.

Adelina's fire was blasting into Kakia's underside, and Damian was on a Pegasus, darting around Kakia's head. He stabbed him lightly with a sword, but quickly sped away, only to do the same thing somewhere else.

Lily was using her charmspeak, sending hordes of Kakia's own monsters to turn around and attack him, only to be crushed. Ant was tinkering in his tool belts, and little drones, wasps, buzzed around Kakia's eyes, stinging him.

Aria was shooting down Kakia's belly with her arrows, while at the same time, helping Adam cause the earth to rumble, shaking under Kakia.

Emma had turned into a scarlet dragon, diving and attacking Kakia's hide, causing gashes. Michael stood in front of Kakia, causing the earth to dip and caverns to form, solid chunks of rock flying up, hitting Kakia at 100 miles per hour.

Together, the legacies worked, attacking Kakia as one unit, covering all sides. Kakia roared in fury, and with sweeps of his tail, bursts of fire, he wounded many demigods out in the field. But the legacies were too quick for him, and he couldn't focus on them all at once- there were too many.

But at the same time, Maia knew it was hopeless. They were just minor irritations to Kakia, but they weren't actually hurting him. They would never be able to kill him like this.

Kakia smashed out, and the heat from his fire caused some of Maia's tornado to dissipate. She stumbled.

Eva had to roll away to avoid the sweep of Kakia's tail, and Damian's Pegasus took a hit, having to stagger to the ground.

"Damian!" Maia yelled. Damian nodded at her, letting her know he was okay, but his eyes were worried. "What happened?" she asked.

"We can't beat him like this, Maia," Damian told her. "We're never going to win."

"Well what other choice do we have?" Maia asked.

Damian looked at her. "Remember what Mark said? We can't beat Kakia without help from the secret, and the need for redemption?"

"What secret, though?" Maia asked, exasperated. "And why would we need to be redeemed?"

"That's it, I've been thinking, and I don't think that's what it means," Damian told her. "I think… I think when it says the secret, it means a person, and the same for the need for redemption. We need _them_."

"But who-?"

Damian interrupted her. "Think, who do we know that might-"

Maia shook her head. "It can't be. It's not possible."

Suddenly the earth rumbled, and the pair of them had to dive to the side to avoid Kakia's fire. Michael was bleeding now, Amy's storm was weak, and Adelina had had to move, her position nearly leading her to being crushed. All around, the legacies were being driven back, failing. Kakia laughed, a cruel sound. "There's no hope for you," he jeered. "I thank you for helping to raise me. You played right into my trap, more than willing to participate in the quest, my little game. You did exceptionally well, and proved yourself all to be heroes. Exactly what I needed. You proved yourself worthy to me, and so you could raise me. But, you cannot beat me now, legacies," he taunted.

Suddenly a grey mist descended on the battlefield, one familiar to Maia. She inhaled sharply. A clear voice rung around the battlefield. "They may not be able to, Kakia, but I can."

A man materialised in the mist, as it cleared. He was bigger than a normal human, and hovered in the air. He had grey hair, and a short beard, dressed in monk's clothing. He emanated an aura of quiet power.

"Kratos!" Kakia hissed.

Maia almost jumped. Kratos? But that was the father of-

Kane stood there, in front of Kakia, sword held, looking determined. His gaze rested on Maia.

Maia's vision tunnelled. All she felt was anger, immense rage. She had trusted him, but he had betrayed her. He had used her like a rag doll, another person's feelings to play with, to hurt. He was working with the enemy to bring them all down. And now he had the audacity to show up here? Maia raised her hands in rage, the water responding.

Before she could direct the water at Kane, time slowed down. The same grey mist bore down on Maia, as if time had frozen for everyone else. Soon all Maia could see was grey, as if she had been taken somewhere else.

"Maia, stop," a voice commanded. Kratos.

"It was you who rescued us from the cave," Maia realised. Kratos, who had appeared in front of her, nodded. "But why?"

Kratos looked at her. "Why do you think? My son asked for it."

"Kane?" Maia said, shocked. "But-"

"Maia, I know he hurt you, but he cares for you. He saved your life, and he regrets what happened."

"You think I'm going to fall for that, when he's back here to help Kakia in the fight-"

"Maia," Kratos interrupted harshly. "He is not here to fight _for_ Kakia, but here against him."

"You think that helps?" Maia asked. "You think it makes a difference?"

"Yes," Kratos said softly, "it does. Because ultimately, only he can defeat Kakia, with my assistance. It has been foretold since the beginning."

Maia's mind spun. "What? The…. The prophecy. The secret and the need for redemption?"

Kratos bowed his head. "The secret is me."

"What's the secret?" Maia asked.

"I'm an elder titan," Kratos said. "It was not very well known, but like Kakia, I was there at the beginning. Because before the earth and the sky, there was order. And I am order. I faded over time, but I was always there. I was secret yes, but not in the way you may think. I was secret because I kept to the background, I stole away. But now the time has come."

"What time?"

"The time to help my son. It is his need for redemption, to make up for his mistakes. It is not my place to explain it to you, that is his job, but know this. Together we must battle Kakia, but truthfully, I would not be here if not for Kane. Remember that, Maia."

"What? But-"

It was too late. The grey mist dissipated, along with Kratos' figure. The motion of the battle immediately came back. Maia stumbled, hesitating, not attacking Kane. The water fell to the ground. Kane looked at her, anxious.

Immediately Kakia saw his opportunity. He roared flames, and shocks started to come from his tail. The brief calm disappeared as once more chaos returned to the battlefield.

Immediately, Kratos charged at him, grey light emerging. Kane rose in a grey bubble, Kratos' doing.

Kane immediately concentrated, and grey energy, a single bolt, lashed outwards, striking Kakia.

Maia remembered that Kane had never got round to telling Maia what his powers were. Now she found out.

Kratos and Kane engaged battle with Kakia, who lashed back like a snake. The earth rumbled around them.

The others were too busy to watch, having to deal with endless amount of undying monsters- they killed them only for them to rise a few minutes later.

Maia focussed on the monsters. She now knew that only Kane and Kratos could kill Kakia, and so she turned her attention away, trusting them, burying down any mixed emotions she held towards Kane.

The fight was Kakia was intense. Shards of energy, grey light, emerged from the battle, almost blinding, as Kane hovered round, using his sword, Kratos supplying him with divine power that only an elder titan could have.

Fire, heat, energy, the rumbling earth, the deafening roars… The battle was surreal, but it was coming to a close.

Kakia was being worn down, his enemies closing down on him. But it would take a final, very powerful, strike to beat him, one Maia wasn't sure they could give.

Suddenly she saw Kane's plan. For a brief second his piercing blue eyes met her grey ones, and he gazed at her, before turning around, and leaping upwards, sword raising, plunged down onto Kakia's head, grey energy surrounding him.

Kakia screamed, and the ground shook. Maia collapsed, the sound horrible. Kakia was literally disintegrating, but with horror, Maia could see what was about to happen.

Kakia bit down on Kane with his fangs, saliva streaming, a crazed look on the snake titan's face, as he disintegrated. Shock passed over Kane's face as his body turned red with blood, and he collapsed to the ground. Luckily, the grey energy bubble cushioned him, before popping.

Instinctively, Maia ran over to him. "Kane!" she cried, as she knelt beside him.

"Maia," Kane croaked, looking at her wondrously.

"You're going to be ok," she told him. Kane shook his head sadly.

Kakia was disintegrating, his ashes scattering in the wind. He was roaring, but soon his roar faded to nothing.

Maia couldn't even feel elation about their victory. She saw Kratos nearby, looking grave.

"Kratos," she called, "help, please. He's injured."

Kratos looked sadly at her. "I cannot help my son. Kakia's wound is something I am not to deal with. But help is on its way. I can make sure of that."

Before Maia could ask what he was talking about, Kratos sped away, to the gate, a trail of light. When he reached he started to rise, grey light encasing the gate which linked the two camps.

_Thank you, Maia,_ Kratos' voice sounded her head, _you have helped me more than you can understand._ Kratos disappeared in a flash of light, and suddenly the gate glowed. Aetos, the guardian eagle of the gate, cawed.

The gate was working again. Their parents could reach them.

Ranks of demigods and legacies poured in, ready to fight the full field of monsters, who could die now. The monsters didn't stand a chance.

The seven poured in, each one ready to fight. Percy controlled the water, and Frank turned into a bear, while Hazel collapsed the caverns. Annabeth took down many with a single blow like dominoes, and Jason sparked hundreds with his lightning, while Piper confused them, Leo shooting his flames, Calypso singing while wielding her dagger.

Together, the seven and their legacies, they worked their way through the battlefield.

But Maia was occupied.

"Maia," Kane said softly.

"They're coming soon," Maia said urgently, "It'll be fi-"

"Maia!" Kane said more forcefully. "I- I need you to listen. I'm sorry." He raised a hand to stop Maia speaking. "No, let me finish. What I told you about my history- that wasn't entirely a lie. I was an orphan, my mum died, and I stayed in a care home. But I liked it there, they were my family. Not long after I found out I was Kratos' son, Kraken approached me. Told me I should help him create peace, and he'd reward me. At first I said I wasn't interested, told him no, but Kraken was persistent. For some reason, he wanted me by his side. He- he blackmailed me. He told me he'd kill everyone in my care home, even the small children, if I didn't help him. So I did.

" It didn't seem that bad at first, all I had to do was join a quest. Your quest. But Maia… when I met you, all of you, I grew to like you, and I didn't want to betray you. I tried to tell you, but there was never a right time. I had doubts, and tried to back out, but Kraken always threatened me with the deaths of everyone in my care home. But you Maia," he looked at her, eyes shining, "you changed everything. After the cavern incident, I knew I couldn't watch Kakia kill you all. I called my father, and he told me about this prophecy. And, I came here to help.

"I'm sorry Maia. I'm so, so sorry. I was an idiot for betraying you, I hate myself for it. I'll never for-"

"I forgive you," Maia said softly. And she really did. She had been so angry, but here, watching Kane who looked so regretful, who did what he did just to save the lives of his family, the person who had just killed Kakia and was prepared to sacrifice himself to do it… it wasn't the person she had been angry at. "I love you," Kane said suddenly. "And if I'm going to die, I'm glad you're here."

Maia ignored the tingling in her stomach. "You're not going to die." Mark was running over with medical help, Argus ready to carry Kane to the infirmary.

As Maia sat there, in the battlefield, next to Kane, who was bleeding out, she saw the scene. The monsters were being beaten by the seven and the legacies. She saw Eva, who smiled at her, and Maia smiled back.

They were winning the battle. Kakia was gone, and they would win the fight for the camps. Their parents were rescued, and they were fighting beside them.

Maybe everything would work out after all.

* * *

**So... a lot happened there! What do you guys think? We even had a nice reunion!**

**Next chapter is the last! I'll try and get it to you either this weekend, or early next week. ****Who's POV do you want the last chapter to be in? I haven't decided yet, so I figured I might as well ask you guys! **

**More reviews, and for the last time, there will be a quicker update! **

**Please review!**


	25. Chapter 24

**Whew- Final chapter! **

**I'm so glad if you're reading this that you came this far- I really enjoyed writing this story!**

**While there were many good suggestions of who's POV to do this chapter in, I settled on this person because it mirrors the beginning (sort of), but also because I felt their perspective could finish the story off and tie off all the ends.**

**Shortish chapter, but its just a wrap-up.**

**I just want to say a huge thank you who reviewed- please do it one last time! I hope you enjoy the final chapter!**

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Chapter24

Eva

The aftermath of the battle felt surreal. After two weeks of non-stop fighting and monsters and stress, Eva almost wasn't able to believe it was all over.

The monsters were all reduced to dust now. Since the gate had been re-opened by Kratos and their parents, plus a bunch of other fighters, had arrived as back-up, they had easily over-powered the monsters.

The threat of Kakia was gone too. Kane had destroyed him, with the help of Kratos, as Mark's prophecy had foretold. Chiron assured them all that Kakia wouldn't be back again.

They were now in Camp Half-Blood, a few hours since the battle. Leo had his arm around Eva, Calypso almost tearing up. The Valdez family was enjoying their downtime, after being split for too long.

"Well done, mijos," Leo said affectionately. "And, Ant, you did great with the ship. And Lina, I heard your fire powers are really developing!"

Soon they all gathered in the campfire area. Chiron calmed everyone down.

Eva spotted the Graces, and she smiled at Amy, who was having a cut on her arm healed. Maia and the rest of her family weren't too far off either. Eva exchanged a look with Maia. Kane hadn't been out of the infirmary for long, and was sticking near Chiron, every now and then glancing nervously at Maia.

Eva had been angry at him at first, but it hadn't lasted. Kane had made a mistake, one he regretted- but he had made up for it when he had returned to fight Kakia. Without him, Eva knew that they wouldn't be standing here.

Not only that, when Kane had explained how Kraken had forced him to join their sides, Eva had been shocked.

Still, if Kane hurt her friend again, Eva wouldn't be so forgiving. Not that she thought it was likely that would happen.

Further on, the Zhangs. She caught Michael's eyes, and they stared at each other for a second, before Eva's cheeks reddened and she turned away. She hadn't properly spoken to Michael yet since they had kissed. She didn't know what was happening there. All she knew was that she liked Michael.

Chiron started to speak. "Campers, Legionnaires, Demigods, Legacies. As you all know, we have just won the battle against the elder titan Kakia. For that, every single one of you may feel pride. But it is also true that this started before today. This battle started with a quest, which several brave legacies went on, a quest to rescue some of the finest heroes in recent generations. As you know is customary, the laurel wreaths are presented to the Children of Heroes who proved themselves. The Children of the Prophecy."

And as Eva went up for her laurel wreath, around the blazing campfire, Eva finally felt like she was safe and at home once again.

* * *

The atmosphere was buzzing. The Jacksons had invited the other families of the seven, plus Rachel and Mark, Tyson and Ella, Grover and Juniper, Reyna and Malcolm, Nico and Will, as well as Thalia for one massive celebratory dinner.

Most of the moms were in the kitchen cooking, the other adults in the living room, and the children were in the huge fields.

Eva right now was talking to Maia and Amy, as in the distance she saw Ant, Damian, Reid, Adam, Emma, Aria, Lily and Mark playing some small version of Capture the Flag in the distance. It felt nice to be so relaxed after the pressure of the quest.

"So," Eva nudged Maia, "what's happening between you and Kane?"

"Yeah," Amy chimed in, "now that we know he's not evil and all."

Maia blushed. "Well… he apologised before and told me he loved me. And about an hour ago, he asked me out."

Eva grinned. "Tell me you said yes?"

Maia smirked. "I said yes."

Amy squealed, letting her mom's side show. "I hate myself for reacting like this, but I'm so glad you two are finally going out. Now all that's left is Eva, to see where her love life is going."

Maia grinned again, and shared a look with Eva, knowing about her kiss with Michael. Before she could tell Amy, Michael and Kane approached them.

Kane kissed Maia, who blushed. "You look beautiful," Kane told Maia, who just playfully slapped him.

"Can I speak to you, Eva?" Michael asked. Eva nodded, and followed Michael.

Michael turned around when they were further away, and out of sight, taking Eva's hand in his own.

"Look, Eva," he took a deep breath. "I really like you, and I was just wondering… well maybe, if you wanted to… I thought-"

Eva cut him off, kissing him on the lips. Michael responded. They broke apart.

"Yes," Eva told Michael.

Michael grinned at her.

* * *

They were all sitting inside, around the dinner table. As they finished their meals, Piper stood up.

"Guys, I just want to say, on behalf of everyone who was rescued here- we are so proud of you. And thank you for rescuing us."

Leo grinned. "Yep. Of course, you had a pretty awesome example."

"Leo!" Calypso scolded, as the kids started to laugh.

"Ok, ok fine." Leo put his hands up. "But seriously. You guys did good."

And as Eva sat there, around the dinner table with the people she cared about, Eva realised Leo was right. They had done good.

They had rescued their parents, and saved their home. Order was restored, and Eva had come off all the better along the way.

The prophecy had been fulfilled. The quest was completed. For now, the legacies had done what was needed.

And that was more than enough.

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**The End.**

**I really enjoyed writing this story, and I just want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who read it, who favourited/followed it, who reviewed it! **

**Ok, so as for other stories I will write... As many of you know I'm working on my crossover, Colliding Worlds, which incidently should be updated soon. You guys also know about my other story ideas: All's Fair, a highschool fic, and The Quest After. I will be posting both of those! But that will be in a month's time, _after_ my exams. So yeah, I hope you read that!**

**Review the story one last time? It is the last chapter, so please review. It would mean so much to me!**

**Thanks, and please read my other stories! Read my crossover, and follow me as an author if you want to know when my next stories will be posted!**

**rocketgod123 :)**


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